


something like fate

by imjxebum



Category: GOT7
Genre: Established Feelings, Eventual Smut, Humor, Light Angst, M/M, Plot Twists
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-10
Updated: 2019-08-19
Packaged: 2020-06-25 15:28:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 27,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19748548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imjxebum/pseuds/imjxebum
Summary: Jackson is driving home in a blizzard when he nearly runs over his coworker Jaebum with his car. Things get a lot weirder after that.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The idea for this fic came to me last December while I was driving home on a really foggy night. And as one does when driving home at night, alone, with no one but the spooky ass fog for company, I thought to myself: What if somebody were to suddenly appear in my headlights? So, spooky fog, this one's for you.
> 
> I have the whole thing written & ready for posting, so the plan is to post a chapter a week, give or take (granted that work & life don't get in the way, you know how it be sometimes)
> 
> Hope you like it!

✧･ﾟ:┈☆┈♛┈☆┈:･ﾟ✧

It’s 1:31 a.m. and Jackson is attempting to drive home in a blizzard.

He can barely see a car’s length in front of his headlights and his sports car, which is clearly _not_ designed for this kind of weather, is sliding all over the place.

He’s kicking himself for not leaving work sooner.

Around 7 p.m. the company sent out an email advising employees to head home before the roads got too bad, but Jackson brushed it off as overcautious. Stupidly, he kept right on working. It wasn’t until hours later on a trip to the bathroom that he caught sight of the snowy apocalypse amassing outside the window.

“Oh, fuck me,” he muttered, dragging a hand down his face as he looked out at the mess he was going to have to drive home in. He left promptly after that.

If he’d bothered to check the forecast sooner he would have known that experts are calling it the worst snowstorm in decades. Accumulation is expected to reach several feet. By Jackson’s humble estimations, it’s well on its way to one foot already.

He knows he’s probably driving faster than what’s safe, but he’s a little bit frantic to get home. His car almost got stuck twice already and he isn’t keen on having to walk the rest of the way to his apartment. He’s wearing track pants and Yeezys, for god’s sake.

Maybe if he was driving slower it would have been easier to brake when a figure suddenly appears in his headlights. He lets out a scream and slams on the breaks, but his car doesn’t get the whole “stop” memo. He tries to turn, but the wheels lose traction and they start to slide. The car turns and the figure vanishes out of his headlights. A beat later Jackson hears the horrific sound of a thud against his back bumper.

The car comes to a stop in a snow bank along the side of the road. It’s barely stopped moving before Jackson is vaulting out the door into the storm.

“Oh my god, oh my god,” he says in panic as he desperately searches the snow for the person he just _fucking hit with his car_.

He spots the dark outline of a figure crumpled on their side several yards off his back bumper.

“Please don’t be dead,” Jackson pleads, slipping and sliding through the ankle-deep snow to reach them.

“Hello?” he calls. “Are you okay?”

He gets no response.

Jackson’s stomach does a flip. _Oh god,_ he thinks as he falls to his knees beside them. He’s reaching out to grab their shoulder and turn them onto their back but is instead nearly startled to death when they let out a low moan. He yanks his hand back with a gasp.

“You’re alive! Oh, thank god!” he cries.

“I think you just killed me,” the person groans.

It’s a guy.

“Are you hurt? Does anything feel broken?” Jackson’s hands flutter over him, but he’s afraid to touch him for fear of hurting him further.

The guy starts to push himself up. As he does, the hood covering his face falls back. “I think I’m okay. What the hell did you hit me with?”

“ _Jaebum?”_ Jackson gapes, because there in the snow is his coworker Im Jaebum, who he’s pretty sure he left at work not twenty minutes ago.

He’d been surprised to find that he wasn’t the only one who didn’t listen to the company email. He was finally leaving for the night when he noticed that the lights were on in one of the recording studios. Thinking that someone forgot to shut them off in their hurry to get home, he opened the door to take care of them and almost had a heart attack when he found someone hunched in front of the computer screens.

“Oh, hey,” Jackson said, his hand flying up to his chest in surprise. “I thought I was the only one still here.”

Jaebum slid his headphones off and turned around in his chair to face him. He smiled and shook his head. “Nah, I’m here too. I figured it’s probably too late to leave so I’m camping out for the night.” He gestured to the couch in the corner of the room, where a blanket and pillows were already set up.

“Are you leaving?” he asked Jackson then, his eyebrows drawing together.

Jackson nodded. “I don’t live too far from here so I’m going to try to brave it.”

He paused, chewing at his bottom lip as an idea came to mind. Before he could change his mind, he said, “Will you be okay here alone, hyung? You can come stay at my place for the night if you want. I have an air mattress that I could blow up.”

A look of surprise crossed Jaebum’s face. But he shook his head. “No, that’s okay, Jackson. I’ll be fine. I have work that I need to get done anyway. But drive safe, alright? You can always turn back if the roads are too bad.”

“I promise I’ll be safe,” Jackson agreed, looking down from Jaebum’s gaze. His face felt warm and he hoped he wasn’t blushing.

“Good,” Jaebum nodded. Then he replaced his headphones on his ears and swiveled back to face the monitors. “Text me when you get home or I’ll worry.”

So Jackson is a little bit confused as to how in the world Jaebum managed to walk all this way in the middle of a blizzard _and_ beat Jackson there, who was travelling by car.

“Hyung, how did you get here? I thought you were staying at work,” Jackson exclaims.

Jaebum suddenly whips his head around to look at Jackson. His eyes lock on his face and he goes still. A strange array of emotions passes across his face, but they’re gone too quick for Jackson to decipher any of them.

“Of course,” Jaebum murmurs. He huffs out a short, humorless laugh and shakes his head.

Jackson’s brows knit in concern. “Uhh, hyung? You didn’t hit your head, did you? Because you’re acting kind of funny.”

Jaebum breaks his stare to sweep his eyes over their surroundings. The look on his face could only be described as wonder. He shakes his head in disbelief.

“I wish I had,” he replies.

_Yeah, he definitely hit his head,_ Jackson thinks to himself.

“Ohh- _kaay_ , well, uh, let’s get out of the snow before we get frostbite. C’mon, hyung, I’m taking you to my apartment,” Jackson says and hooks his hand under Jaebum’s arm. He stands and hauls Jaebum to his feet alongside him.

He walks Jaebum around his car to the passenger side, keeping a hand on him to make sure he doesn’t fall. Jaebum stares at the car like it’s a horse with wings.

“Is this an anabraic carriage?” he asks.

“A _who?_ ”

Jaebum opens his mouth to respond, but Jackson cuts him off by saying, “Actually, nevermind. Here, just get in.”

He opens the door and quickly ushers Jaebum inside. He pauses to kick some snow out from behind his back wheels in hope that it will help him reverse out of the snow bank, then he hurries back around to the driver’s side.

Jaebum is looking at the dashboard display when Jackson plops down beside him. “This is so freaky,” Jackson hears him mutter under his breath.

It’s then that Jackson finally observes Jaebum’s attire.

“What the heck are you wearing?” he beseeches.

Jaebum seems to be wearing an outfit straight out of the Victorian era. His top is a fitted tailcoat underneath a heavy, double breasted wool coat, paired with slim cut trousers and shiny heeled boots. All of it is black, save for the bits of ornate gold trim along the collar and cuffs.

“Did you just come from a costume party or something?” is Jackson’s only plausible explanation even though it makes no sense whatsoever with the timeline he has laid out in his head.

Jaebum gives him an odd look. “No, this is my uniform.”

“Your . . . uniform. Right,” Jackson replies.

Maybe it’s best to hold off on questions until they get home, he decides.

Jackson turns the ignition and the engine roars to life. Jaebum startles so badly that he bangs his shins against the dashboard. A colorful stream of curse words follows after.

“Oh, sorry!” Jackson apologizes. “I guess I should’ve given you a warning. It’s a sports car, so the engine’s pretty loud,” he explains, even though he thinks that Jaebum’s reaction is strangely overdone, even for someone who’s never ridden in a sports car before.

“Hey, don’t forget your seatbelt.”

Jaebum looks at him with a blank expression. “My what?”

“Uh, your seatbelt?” Jackson repeats, pointing.

Jaebum turns to follow his gesture. “This?”

_Okay, don’t freak out,_ Jackson thinks as he tries to calm the panic rising up inside of him. _He’s probably just in shock. Get him home to where it’s warm and he’ll come back to his senses. Everything will be peachy and nobody will have to go to jail._

“Here, I’ll do it.” He reaches over Jaebum, grabs the belt, and snaps it into place.

As he reverses out of the snow bank, he sees Jaebum in his peripheral vision tug experimentally on the belt and startle when it retracts upon release.

By some miracle they manage to drive the short distance to his apartment without getting stuck. Jackson shuts off the car, then comes around to assist Jaebum, who is having some difficulty getting his seatbelt undone.

“I can do it,” he protests when Jackson tries to reach across to help him. Jackson retreats, only to watch Jaebum seconds later get snapped in the chin by the metal tongue as it zips out of the buckle.

It takes everything Jackson has not to laugh.

Jaebum glares at him. “It’s not funny.”

“I didn’t laugh!” Jackson defends, though he doesn’t quite manage to suppress a smile. “C’mon, let’s get inside.”

His concerns deepen when they step into the building lobby and he notices Jaebum is walking with a slight limp.

“Hyung, you’re limping,” Jackson says, distraught. This time he doesn’t allow Jaebum to fend him off when he hooks an arm around his waist to support him. Jaebum grumbles indignantly at the assistance.

The apartment is blissfully warm when they struggle through the door minutes later.

Jackson eases Jaebum onto the couch, even though the later repeatedly insists that he’s fine and doesn't need help. Jackson has none of it.

“Here, let me have your coat and shoes,” Jackson instructs. “I’m going to put them near the radiator to dry.”

“I can’t stay,” Jaebum replies. His expression is serious.

“Jaebum,” Jackson says with a sigh. “It’s almost 2 a.m. and it’s snowing. It’s too late to go anywhere. Plus, you’re limping. Please at least stay until morning so I can keep an eye on you.” _And make sure I didn’t accidentally give you brain damage._

Jaebum grumbles something that sounds distinctly like “stubborn.”

“Okay?” Jackson pushes.

“Fine,” Jaebum finally concedes. “But I’m leaving first thing.”

Jackson is a tiny bit hurt that Jaebum is in such a rush to leave. Hasn’t he been perfectly kind and hospitable—rescuing Jaebum from the snow and opening his home up as a refuge from the harsh elements? He’s done precisely what any good friend and coworker should do in his situation. So why the hurry?

_Oh,_ he remembers. _I guess I did kinda hit him with my car._

He’s still a little hurt, though.

Jaebum relinquishes his coat and shoes and Jackson places them alongside his own near the radiator.

When he returns, he stands in front of Jaebum with his hands on his hips and eyes him up for any visible signs of injury. He doesn’t spot any blood and no limbs seems to be out of place. And when he looks for head injuries he sees none.

“You’re not going to die, right?” he asks Jaebum, who is watching him with raised eyebrows.

“I hope not.”

“What’s up with your leg? It’s not broken is it?” He anxiously chews at his bottom lip.

Jaebum shakes his head. “Just bruised, I think. Your carri—I mean, er, car didn’t hit me too hard. It’s nothing some medicinal herbs won’t fix. Do you have any?”

Jackson’s eyes go wide. “You mean _weed?”_

He’s admittedly surprised. He never thought Jaebum the type.

“No, like mandrake root or wormwood,” Jaebum replies, once again giving Jackson an odd look like _he’s_ the crazy one.

_Great. Just when I thought he was back to normal._

“Uh, how about some aspirin instead?” Jackson suggests, thinking, _Well, at least he didn’t mean weed._

He heads over to the kitchen cabinet and digs out a pill bottle. When he goes to get Jaebum a glass of water from the faucet, nothing comes out.

“Shit, I think the pipes are frozen.” He groans in frustration. “Ugh, I guess that means no hot shower for us.”

He catches Jaebum’s eye and notices his quirked brow. Jackson’s face goes hot.

“No, no! I didn’t mean together!”

He hides his face in the refrigerator to the sound of Jaebum’s quiet laughter behind him. The water bottles are right in front of his nose but he pretends to not see them in order to give his face a moment to cool down.

“Oh, here there are!”

He presents two pills and a water bottle to Jaebum, who is smirking up at him. It makes Jackson feel infuriatingly weak in the knees. He quickly retreats to the kitchen island, a safe distance away.

When Jaebum is finished taking his aspirin, Jackson claps his hands together. “Alright! Now, we should find you some clothes to sleep in. Follow me.”

Jaebum obediently follows Jackson back to his bedroom. Jackson instructs him to sit on his bed, because he needs to rest his leg. He, in the meantime, begins digging through his closet for something suitable for Jaebum to wear.

Nothing seems to be turning up when a brilliant idea comes to mind.

“Ooh, I know!” he exclaims. “I have some pajamas Bambam got me for Christmas a few years ago that were too big, but I couldn’t return because _someone_ lost the receipt. I think they’re over here somewhere, maybe under these . . . Ah-ha!”

He pulls out a matching set of baby blue pajamas printed with hearts and teddy bears wearing Christmas hats. “Too bad they didn’t fit me, because they’re adorable.”

“No,” Jaebum says. “Absolutely not.”

Jackson pouts at him. “C’mon, Bummie, you’ll look so cute in them.”

He doesn’t miss the flicker of surprise on Jaebum’s face at his use of a nickname. Too late, he worries if it was an overstep, but if it was Jaebum doesn’t say so.

“No,” he repeats.

Jackson lets out a huff. “Fine.”

He presents Jaebum with an old pair of sweatpants and one of his many oversized t-shirts instead, which successfully pass his scrutiny. He lets Jaebum use the bathroom first while he waits on the bed. “You can leave your wet clothes on the floor, I’ll take care of them for you,” he tells him.

When Jaebum emerges a few minutes later, he’s waddling like a kid who peed his pants.

“Do they fit okay?” Jackson asks, coughing to conceal a laugh.

Jaebum tugs at the fabric. “I think so. They’re just so . . . _loose._ It’s strange.”

“Hyung, don’t you wear baggy clothes all the time? It’s like your thing. Homeless chic.”

“You think I’d wear _this?”_ he asks with a tone of disgust.

Jackson is stung. Maybe his sporty fashion sense doesn’t match up exactly with Jaebum’s, but he didn’t think that it warranted such a harsh comment.

“Well, I guess it’s a good thing they’re my clothes and not yours,” he says with a weak laugh.

Jaebum seems to realize his mistake and quickly backtracks. “Oh, no, I didn’t mean—”

“It’s fine,” Jackson says, brushing off his apology with a smile. He stands. “I’m going to change. I’ll be right out.”

He takes his pajamas and hurries into the bathroom. When the door is shut, he slumps against it and lets out a sigh of relief. Finally, he has a moment alone to gather his thoughts.

He flips the lid of the toilet down and sits heavily on it. The biggest worry on his mind is whether or not he’s making a mistake by not bringing Jaebum to a hospital. Bodily, nothing seems to be seriously wrong. But mentally? He wonders if the impact knocked some wires loose in the boy’s head, because something is _clearly_ not right. The only thing that doesn’t make sense with this, however, is the lack of any signs of a head injury.

Jackson drops his head into his hands and lets out a frustrated groan. He’s at a complete loss of what to do.

_I wish I could call Jinyoung. He’d know what to do_.

But then, stupidly, he realizes that he _can_ call Jinyoung. He pulls his phone out of his pocket and scrolls through his contacts until he finds his best friend’s number. He hits call and holds the phone up to his ear.

He waits but hears no dial tone.

When he pulls the phone away from his ear to look at the screen he’s met with a call failure message. That’s when he notices at the top of his screen that he doesn’t have service. The blizzard must be interfering with the signal.

“Great,” Jackson mutters. _Guess I’m all by myself._

Figuring he’s already taken too long, he quickly changes and adds his wet clothes to Jaebum’s. When he bends down to pick them up and hang them over the shower rod, something in the pile catches his eye.

“What in the name of god . . .?” he murmurs as he pulls it out. “Is _this?_ ”

In his hand is some sort of black leather harness. There are two belts that appear to be meant to be strapped around an arm or a leg. And attached to the belts is a long, skinny holster that Jackson couldn’t even begin to guess what it is meant to hold. He looks inside, but it’s empty.

His first thought is _what kinky shit is Jaebum into?_ but on second thought the harness doesn’t really look like it’s for bondage. When he leaves the bathroom, he decides to take it with him.

Jaebum immediately spots the harness in Jackson’s hand.

“Oh, thanks. I forgot I left that in there,” he says.

“What is it, exactly?” Jackson asks as he hands it over.

Once again, Jaebum gives him that look like _he’s_ the crazy one. “It’s my wand holster,” he says, making it sound obvious. “See look.”

Jaebum reaches in his pocket and pulls out what looks like a prop straight out of a Harry Potter movie. It’s a wand, long and skinny and nearly the length of Jaebum’s forearm. The wood is dark, almost black, and its surface is smooth and glossy save for an ornately carved handle at the end.

Jackson is at a complete loss for words.

“I would put it in the holster, but the straps don’t fit well around all this extra fabric,” Jaebum explains, pulling at the legs of his sweatpants for emphasis.

“So that’s what your costume is,” Jackson says slowly. “A . . . magician?”

Jaebum scowls. “It’s my uniform, not a costume.”

At this point Jackson doesn’t have the energy to dispute him. “Right, sorry.” Changing the subject, he says, “I’m going to go set up the air mattress. Do you want anything to eat?”

Jaebum stands and follows him back to the living room, still walking with a slight limp. “No, I’m okay.”

Jackson pulls the air mattress out of its storage place in his hallway closet. Jaebum watches with curious eyes as he spreads it out over floor and plugs in the air pump.

While they wait for it to blow up, Jackson sits down beside Jaebum on the couch. He rests his head back against the cushion and lets out a tired sigh. The late hour has finally caught up with him.

He closes his eyes to the pull of sleep and starts to drift off when he’s interrupted by the feeling of Jaebum’s gaze settling on him.

With effort, Jackson cracks open an eye. Sure enough, he finds Jaebum looking over at him. He’s about to tease him for staring, but the words die in his mouth when he notices the unusual sadness in the other boy’s expression.

Jackson sits up. “Hyung,” he says, suddenly feeling more awake. “What exactly were you doing out in the snow?”

“My boyfriend banished me.”

By the solemn, straightforward way he says this, it’s clear that he’s resigned himself to his fate.

Jackson, on the other hand, nearly falls off the couch in shock.

Im Jaebum, the man who he’s worked with for years, and from whom he has never once detected any signs of being interested in guys, has a _boyfriend?_ As in a romantic significant other who is male and not female?

But then it _really_ hits him. Jaebum has a boyfriend. Which means that he’s in love with someone else who isn’t him. After all the years he’s spent pining after Jaebum, this comes as a painful blow to Jackson’s heart.

It was hard not to develop feelings for him. When Jackson first came to Seoul to train under JYP, Jaebum was already debuted as a solo artist. He was tall, handsome, and talented beyond belief. Jackson was in complete awe of him and secretly called him “chic and sexy Jaebum-hyung” to Jinyoung. He was also maybe a little bit terrified of the older boy, too.

It wasn’t until after his debut that he truly got to know him. It was through Jinyoung, who had somehow become friends with Jaebum without Jackson realizing. He was the one who introduced them.

“So you’re the wild and sexy Jackson Wang I keep hearing so much about,” Jaebum had said with a grin that put hearts and stars in Jackson’s eyes.

Jackson can’t even remember what he said in response, he was so enamored.

But despite this encouraging first introduction and a mutual best friend between them, it’s taken Jaebum years to warm up to him. And even after all the effort he’s put into making him like him, Jackson still doesn’t know if Jaebum considers him a friend.

He supposes that now his distance makes sense.

“Or I guess I should say ex-boyfriend,” Jaebum adds with a pained expression. “We just broke up. Hence the banishment.”

Hold. The. Phone.

“You broke up? That’s awful.” _Don’t sound happy, don’t sound happy._ “What happened?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Jaebum mutters.

_Okay, I can work with that,_ Jackson decides. He’s jealous, of course, that someone else got to know Jaebum’s heart before he did, but at least now he knows that he stands a chance.

Jackson rises from the couch. “That looks about done,” he says as he walks over to unplug the air pump.

He puts the pump away and gets spare sheets and blankets out of the closet. Jaebum tries to help him make up the mattress, but Jackson insists that he sit and continue to rest his leg.

When it’s ready, he comes over to help Jaebum lower himself down onto the bed, again despite the other boy’s protests.

“Wait,” Jaebum says, before Jackson slips an arm around his back.

Jackson stops. “What?”

Jaebum reaches into his pocket and takes out his wand. He sets it down carefully on the coffee table. “Okay, now I’m ready.”

Jackson fights back a sigh.

Once Jaebum is comfortably situated, he steps away and asks, “Do you need anything else before I go?”

Jaebum shakes his head.

“Okay, well, I’ll be just down the hall if you need anything,” he assures him.

Jaebum nods.

Since there doesn’t seem to be anything else that needs to be addressed, Jackson turns to go. “Goodnight, hyung.”

He’s walking down the hall when he hears Jaebum call to him.

“Jackson?”

There’s something about the quiet, unsure way the other boy says his name that makes Jackson’s heart stutter. He’s never heard Jaebum say his name like that before.

Pulse racing, he turns back.

In the low lighting, Jaebum’s eyes are round and soft with uncertainty.

“Yeah, hyung?” Jackson asks, surprising himself with the steadiness of his voice.

Jaebum opens his mouth to reply, but then a beat later seems to change his mind. He shakes his head to himself and presses his lips shut in a tight line.

Jackson’s heart falls.

But then he hears Jaebum clear his throat and his eyes flick back up, hopeful. He finds a shift in Jaebum’s expression. He wears a light smile, but it’s not hard to spot the way it fails reach his eyes.

“I just wanted to say thank you,” is what he says. “For everything you’ve done for me tonight. You’ve been unnecessarily kind.”

Jackson dismisses this with a wave of his hand. “It’s nothing, hyung. That’s what friends are for. Besides, I kind of owe you since I hit you with my car and all.”

He grins sheepishly and the smile Jaebum gives him in return feels much more genuine than the last.

“You’ll still be here in the morning, right?” Jackson asks then, working his bottom lip between his teeth. It wasn’t until that moment that he realized how worried he would be if he woke up and found Jaebum gone.

Jaebum’s smile drops. He shakes his head. “I leave as soon as the sun rises.”

“Really, hyung? You can’t even wait until I can get up to see you off?” Jackson asks, failing to hide the hurt in his voice.

“I have to, in case Jinyoung comes back to lift my banishment. I don’t know if he’ll be able to find me here,” Jaebum explains.

Jackson feels like he’s just been slapped.

Jaebum’s boyfriend is Jinyoung.

His best friend in the world was dating the boy he’s been in love with for years and he never once thought to mention it to Jackson? The betrayal is like a knife to his heart. He thinks about all of the times he confided his feelings in Jinyoung and realizes with distinct horror that he and Jaebum were probably laughing at him behind his back. He feels like an idiot.

“I thought you said you broke up,” Jackson says hoarsely. The words feel like lead in his mouth.

“We did,” Jaebum confirms. “But I still need to go home.”

So they even live together, too. The knife twists deeper. Just how much of his friendship with Jinyoung was real? Not much, apparently.

Jackson nods, feeling numb. “Okay, just text me when you get home safely.”

He turns on his heel and retreats to his room, not wanting to stand there for one more moment. As he goes he hears Jaebum call out to him again.

“Jackson, wait, I—”

But he pretends not to hear. He’s afraid that if he stays to listen to what Jaebum has to say it will just shatter his heart into a million more pieces. He shuts his door tightly between them and blinks back the tears pricking at his eyes.

When he crawls into bed it feels like his body has been filled with sand. He drops heavily onto his pillow and lets out a shaky breath. What a fucking night.

He rolls onto his back and stares up at the ceiling. He replays everything that happened over the course of the past few hours and shakes his head in disbelief. He can’t help but wonder if he’s somehow wandered into an alternate universe, because nothing about the night feels real. How could his best friend, who he’s trusted without a single doubt since they were both teenagers, have been secretly dating his crush without him realizing? It just doesn’t seem real.

For a while, Jackson worries that he’ll never get any sleep with all the thoughts running through his mind, but before he knows it his eyelids grow heavy and he sinks into a deep sleep.

✧･ﾟ:┈☆┈♛┈☆┈:･ﾟ✧

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jaebum, y u so weird?
> 
> Find me on tumblr: <https://jxebum.tumblr.com>


	2. Chapter 2

✧･ﾟ:┈☆┈♛┈☆┈:･ﾟ✧

When Jackson wakes up, he’s certain that it’s still the middle of the night. So it’s a little confusing when he rolls over to find that the time on his alarm clock reads 8:47 a.m. Groggily, he climbs out of bed and shuffles over to the window.

_Oh,_ he thinks when he pulls back the curtain. _That’s why._

Snow is still falling heavily from the sky, the clouds and precipitation so thick that barely any sunlight is able to filter through. He struggles to even make out the buildings directly across the street. Clearly he won’t be going to work today.

He drags a hand through his hair and recalls all of the crazy things that happened last night. It feels somewhat like a bad dream and as he approaches his bedroom door, he isn’t quite sure if he hopes it was real or not.

He holds his breath and opens the door. Down the hall, the air mattress is empty.

Jaebum is gone.

His shoulders deflate. He’s disappointed, but not surprised. Jaebum _did_ say that he’d be gone by sunrise after all.

Jackson lets out a heavy sigh. As he shuffles down the hall to find something to eat for breakfast, he tries not to think about how suffocating his apartment already feels without someone to keep him company.

He rounds the corner into the kitchen and nearly trips over backwards in fright when he sees a person standing in front of the stove.

“Oh, hey. You’re up,” Jaebum greets him. 

Jackson grips the counter and tries to regain his composure. “You’re still here?” he huffs.

“I remembered that you don’t know how to cook and I was afraid you’d burn the building down if I left you to make breakfast by yourself.” Jaebum looks over at Jackson and grins.

Jackson scowls. “I do too know how to cook,” he defends, but secretly wonders how Jaebum knew that about him. With a twinge of bitterness, he thinks that Jinyoung must have told him. They probably laughed about it together.

He pushes these thoughts away as he turns his attention toward Jaebum’s cooking. “But that does smell pretty good, whatever you’re making,” he admits.

He steps up beside Jaebum to peer into the pot. He pretends it doesn’t send a thrill across his skin when their arms brush up against each other. Stupid body, betraying him.

“It’s kimchi stew. There wasn’t much in the ice box over there, so I had to make do with what you had,” Jaebum explains.

_Ice box? He must mean the fridge._

Welp, that answers Jackson’s question of whether or not he’s back to normal. It would seem that sleep did nothing to help Jaebum’s mental state. Wonderful.

“I think it’s just about ready.”

“I’ll set up the table,” Jackson says and goes to get bowls down from the cabinet. He sets his kitchen island with napkins, utensils, and cups for drinks. “Is the tap unfrozen?” he asks as he goes to the sink.

“It wasn’t when I checked,” Jaebum says. Jackson turns the faucet and finds that he’s right. Nothing comes out.

“Well, I guess it’s bottled water, soy milk, or energy drinks. Your choice.”

“Water is fine.”

He and Jaebum sit on stools across from each other and quietly tuck into the stew, though the silence is surprisingly comfortable. Jackson finds the stew is delicious. He had no idea that Jaebum was such a good cook. He adds it to the ever-growing list of things he never knew about him.

“How’s your leg, hyung?” he asks then.

“Sore, but I’ll live.”

Jackson offers him more aspirin but he declines, claiming he doesn’t need it.

“You’re not still thinking about leaving, are you?” Jackson is reluctant to ask, because he’s enjoying the comfort of Jaebum’s presence and he hopes he’ll stay for longer, but he remembers how intent he was on going.

“I can’t stay here,” Jaebum says, as Jackson suspected he would. “I have to go home.”

He knew it was a long shot, but it still hurts to hear how desperate Jaebum is to get home to Jinyoung. Sadly, he wonders if he intends to try to win him back once he gets there.

“I won’t force you to stay if you want to go, hyung, but have you looked outside? It’s dangerous for anyone to go out in that. You could get lost. Jinyoung would understand if you stayed.”

“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.”

Jackson looks down and picks at his stew. “Of course I’ll worry,” he murmurs.

“Jackson-ah,” he hears Jaebum say softly.

Jackson goes still. Shock pours over him. Not once in his entire time of knowing him has Jaebum ever called him that before.

He’s spent years affectionately referring to the older boy as hyung, only to be disappointed when he never returned his use of familiar language. He was only ever Jackson or Jackson-ssi to Jaebum. Never Jackson-ah or Seun-ah as Jinyoung and his other Korean friends call him. And _certainly_ never Jack or Jacks as Bambam, Mark and Yugyeom (who despite being Korean is stubbornly averse to formality when it comes to his hyungs) call him.

So to hear him suddenly use it now, and so softly, with such affection in his voice? It does funny things to Jackson’s heart.

Tentatively, he looks up. He finds Jaebum smiling at him, though something about his expression echoes the same strange sadness he saw there last night. 

“I’ll have my magic to protect me. You don’t have to worry,” he assures him.

Jackson feels like banging his head on the table. Just when he thought he was having a tender moment with Jaebum, he had to go and ruin it with crazy talk. To his relief, the remainder of breakfast is spent in blessed silence.

When they’re finished eating, Jackson stands and starts to gather their dirty dishes. Jaebum tries to help him, but Jackson waves him off. “Hyung, you cooked. Let me take care of the dishes.”

“That’s a lot to wash by yourself,” Jaebum says, his lips pursing into a pout. _Not cute,_ Jackson thinks. _Totally not cute._

“The pipes are frozen, remember? I’m just going to put them in the dishwasher until they thaw,” Jackson explains.

Jaebum’s eyebrows furrow. “But how are they going to get here in the snow?”

“How are they huh?” Jackson repeats in confusion. Then, he understands. “Oh! No, no, my dishwasher isn’t a _person_. It’s this.” He points to the machine beside his sink. “You guys don’t have a dishwasher at your place?”

Jaebum shakes his head. “No, we don’t have that kind of magic where I’m from. I think the scullery maids normally enchant the dishes to clean themselves.”

Jackson is just so baffled by his response that he’s rendered speechless.

He puts the dishes away, then turns back to Jaebum, who is sipping his water and watching him over the rim of the glass. 

“Jaebum, I think we need to go to the hospital,” he decides. “You need to be checked out.”

Jaebum puts his glass down. “You really don’t see it, do you.”

“See what?”

“That I’m not your Jaebum.”

Here Jackson thought Jaebum was completely oblivious of his feelings for him, but it seems that he was wrong. Jaebum knows _and_ he thinks that Jackson is trying to lay some sort of claim on him, that his concern for his well-being is anything but genuine. _His_ Jaebum? Jackson sputters at the sheer outrage of it.

“I never thought that you were _mine_ ,” he bites out, his face hot. “I know you and Jinyoung just got out of a relationship and I’d never break bro code, especially since things still seem complicated. Jesus, hyung, can’t I just be worried about a friend?”

Jaebum’s eyes widen, probably surprised at his sudden anger. 

“You thought I was dating _Jinyoung?_ ” 

Jackson, who was preparing to fire off another angry comeback, freezes. “Wait. You weren’t?”

Jaebum’s shoulders shake with silent laughter. Jackson stands there staring at him with a lost expression, feeling stupid for being unable to see what’s so funny.

“No,” Jaebum laughs. “Of course not. Jinyoung is like my brother. That’d be . . . odd.”

“But then,” Jackson asks, “who _is_ your boyfriend?”

The humor fades from Jaebum’s expression into something much grimmer. “It doesn’t matter. We aren’t together anymore.”

“But you’re missing my point,” he says then. “Which is I’m not who you think I am. You think that I’m this world’s Jaebum.”

Jackson doesn’t know what to do anymore. It’s clear that the shock from the accident must have caused Jaebum to have some sort of psychological break, but he has no idea what the protocol is in this situation. Should he play along with his delusions or ignore them? Either way, Jaebum needs to go to a hospital but he has no idea how he’s going to get him there in this weather. He doubts his car will be able to back out of its parking spot and the nearest metro station is blocks away.

“Did you hear me?”

Jackson blinks and snaps back to attention. “Huh, what?”

“I said that I’m not this world’s Jaebum,” the other boy repeats. 

“Yeah, clearly not,” Jackson mutters under his breath.

“I’m serious,” Jaebum says. “I thought that you’d eventually realize for yourself, so I didn’t say anything. But now I see that you’re thoroughly convinced that I’m this universe’s Jaebum so I’m telling you otherwise to avoid further confusion. I’m not him.”

Jackson tries with difficulty to remain calm. “Hyung,” he says as gently as possible, “I think that the accident must have sent you into shock, because nothing you’re saying is making any sense.”

“You asked me last night why I was out in the snow,” Jaebum says, though it sounds like a question.

Jackson hesitates, reluctant to play along, but eventually he nods.

“It’s because I was pushed through a door that was opened between our worlds. I would have gone back, but the person who pushed me resealed the door, effectively trapping me here with no way to get back through,” he explains. “When you found me I was trying to find another door to return home through.”

“Who pushed you?” Jackson can’t help but ask, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Jaebum rolls his eyes. “Jinyoung.”

_Sounds like Jinyoung_ , Jackson thinks before he remembers that he isn’t supposed to be playing along.

“Though I can’t really blame him,” Jaebum mutters. “He was just acting under orders.”

“Whose orders?”

Jaebum winces. “The prince’s.”

“You were banished,” Jackson says in disbelief, “by a _prince?_ ”

Jaebum’s eyebrows quirk up. “So you believe me.”

_Oops._ Jackson mentally shakes himself for momentarily falling for his delusions. He quickly backtracks.

“No, of course not! Actually, I’m starting to think this might be some sort of elaborate joke you and Jinyoung are playing on me, maybe for a hidden camera show or something.” He glances around at his surroundings, half expecting to find a lens peering back at him.

“You think I’m pranking you,” Jaebum repeats, his tone flat and unamused.

“Yeah, kinda,” Jackson defends with a shrug. “Either that or you hit your head and we need to go to the hospital. At this point I think I’d much prefer a joke.”

“What form of communication does your world use?” Jaebum asks, suddenly changing the subject.

“Uh, you mean like a cellphone?”

“Is that something you could use to contact this world’s Jaebum?”

Jackson is quick to realize his plan. He sighs and pulls out his phone. “This is ridiculous.”

“Just do it,” Jaebum insists.

But when he unlocks his phone, he finds that he still doesn’t have service. He pulls up Jaebum’s contact anyway and hits call, if only for the sake of appeasing him. As expected, he’s met with a call failure message.

“I don’t have any service,” Jackson informs him. “It must be the all the snow.”

“That means it didn’t work?”

“Yeah. Sorry.”

“You know what, forget this,” Jaebum says, suddenly standing up from the counter. “I need to get home and there’s clearly no convincing you anyway.”

He goes to the front door, where in a few quick motions he pulls his coat from the radiator and tugs it deftly onto his shoulders. The next moment, almost faster than Jackson is able to register what’s happening, his boots are on his feet and he’s out the door.

Jackson rushes after him, alarmed. “Wait, where are you going? Jaebum!”

But Jaebum doesn’t stop. He doesn’t even respond to Jackson as he makes his way toward the elevator. So Jackson runs back into his apartment, throws on his shoes and jacket, and chases after him. He barely manages to slip into the elevator before the doors slide shut.

“What are you doing?” Jaebum glowers, looking none too pleased to see him.

“Following you,” Jackson says, slightly out of breath. “Obviously.”

“No, you’re not. Go back.”

“And who’s going to make me? You, the cripple?” Jackson challenges.

“I’m taller than you.”

“Yeah? And I’m more built than you.”

Without warning, Jaebum takes a step toward him and crowds into his space. Jackson jumps back in surprise, only to find that he has nowhere to go. His back hits the wall of the elevator and, just like that—he’s trapped. Jaebum takes another step closer.

“I think you’ll find my athleticism,” he murmurs as he leans forward, bringing his face closer to Jackson’s, “entirely adequate.”

Jackson gulps.

His brain can’t seem to remember how to function properly and he swears it’s not his fault when his eyes drop to Jaebum’s mouth. The older boy must notice, because his lips tug up into a smirk. Jackson nearly whimpers.

_Oh my god, how is he so hot?_ he thinks in despair.

He starts to lean in, drawn forward beyond his own control by the inexplicable pull the other boy seems to have on him. But as he leans closer, Jaebum’s eyes suddenly widen and for the briefest moment a look of horror crosses his face. The next thing Jackson knows, the elevator doors are sliding open and Jaebum is lurching away from him, almost tripping over himself in his hurry to get away.

He leaves Jackson standing there staring after him with an expression of shock and hurt, wondering what he possibly could have done to make Jaebum so repelled by him.

“Don’t follow me,” he hears Jaebum say, voice low with warning.

The doors start to close again and even though he kind of wants to go back to his apartment and curl up in a ball of self-pity and never ever come back out, Jackson finds himself rushing forward, once again just barely managing to slip past the doors in time.

He reaches Jaebum as the latter is pushing out of the lobby door into the blizzard. 

“Hey, hold up there bucko, where do you think you’re going so fast?” Jackson calls, stepping out behind him.

Jaebum whips around, surprised to find him there. “I told you not to follow me,” he frowns.

“I’m not very good at following directions.”

“Never have been,” Jaebum mutters, but Jackson doesn’t quite catch his meaning.

Saying nothing further, the other boy turns around and continues trudging through the snow. Jackson takes this as permission to come along and hurries to catch up.

“So where, pray tell, are we going exactly?” Jackson asks, casually pretending like his heart isn’t still racing from whatever just happened between them in the elevator.

“To find a door,” Jaebum replies.

Jackson tries not to sigh. “A door between worlds, you mean,” he says.

Jaebum nods. “Yeah, I think there’s one that’s not too far from here. Jinyoung opened it on a visit here years ago and I’m pretty sure that he doesn’t remember it exists, so it should still be there.”

“Maybe I can help you find it. Do you know what it’s near?”

Jaebum looks over at him with a wary expression. Jackson understands his hesitancy to trust him, especially since he straight up called him nuts not fifteen minutes ago, but his thinking on the matter is the faster they find this so-called door (or _don’t_ find it, more likely), the faster they can get back to his warm apartment. 

“It’s in a small courtyard with a lion fountain in it.”

Jackson’s face lights up in recognition. “Oh! I know exactly where that is!” He takes Jaebum by the hand and tugs him in the right direction. “Follow me, Bummie.”

He wonders if it’s just the cold that colors Jaebum’s face pink.

Thankfully, the courtyard in question is only about a block and a half from his apartment building, because the weather is nothing short of brutal. The snow is calf deep and falling so heavily that Jackson has to keep blinking to keep it out of his eyes. He’s almost glad for the cold though, because the effort of trudging through it all has him working up quite a sweat.

“Here it is,” he huffs when they finally reach the narrow courtyard.

To passerby, it would be nearly invisible if one didn’t know it was there. Jackson first came across it years ago on a walk to get Chinese takeout with Mark. He had been surprised to find a place with such an old world feeling tucked in amongst modern Gangnam.

“Yes, this is it,” Jaebum says, excitement in his voice. He lets go of Jackson’s hand and hurries ahead into the courtyard. Jackson trails after.

He watches patiently while Jaebum trudges over to a secluded corner of the courtyard. The walls are covered in a thick curtain of hanging, snow-covered ivy. Jaebum pushes the dead branches aside, revealing the brick underneath. Jackson looks but doesn’t see any signs of a door. 

“It’s still here,” he hears Jaebum say.

“What is?” Jackson asks, standing on his toes to try to peer around Jaebum’s frustratingly broad shoulders.

Jaebum gestures to him. “Come look,” he says, stepping aside and holding the ivy back for him.

_Okay, that’s a bit weird,_ Jackson thinks when he sees it.

Burned onto the surface of the brick wall is a faded black symbol. Its harsh, curving lines are unlike anything he’s ever seen before. He quickly runs through all of the languages he knows but is unable to find a comparison. Whatever it is, it’s completely foreign to him.

Jaebum raises his eyebrows as if to say _See? I told you._

“It’s faded, but that shouldn’t affect the magic,” he says. “As long as it’s here I should still be able to cross through it.”

Jackson’s eyes just about roll out of his head when the next thing Jaebum does is pull out his wand. _He cannot be serious,_ he thinks as he watches Jaebum touch the tip of it to the symbol on the wall and murmur something under his breath. He doesn’t quite catch the words but it certainly doesn’t sound like Korean.

Jaebum puts his wand away and presses his palm against the symbol. Jackson is almost surprised when nothing happens. Apparently so is Jaebum.

“Why didn’t it work?” he demands, slapping his palm against the wall and pushing.

“Hyung, maybe we should just go back,” Jackson suggests. The longer they stand there, the more the cold seeps back in. He’s trying to keep warm by bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet, but it isn’t really working too well. He wonders if it’s a bad sign that he can’t feel his toes.

“Let me try again,” Jaebum says, taking his wand back out. “Sometimes unused doorways get a little rusty.”

Jackson lets out a frustrated groan. “Hyung, it’s probably just some old graffiti. It’s not going to work.”

Jaebum ignores him. He presses the tip of his wand against the symbol and murmurs the strange, unfamiliar words again. Then, to Jackson’s alarm, he starts to back up.

“Jaebum, wait, I don’t think that’s such a good—”

But it’s too late. Jaebum runs full speed at the wall, leading with his shoulder. Jackson winces when he collides with the hard surface, the sound of it making an unpleasant slap. He lands heavily on his side.

“Hyung!” Jackson cries, rushing over to him.

Jaebum lays in the snow, clutching at his shoulder with a pained expression. “Fuck, that hurt,” he groans.

“What the hell did you expect?” Jackson asks in disbelief. “You just ran at a brick wall!”

He tries to help Jaebum to his feet, but the other man brushes him off. “I’m _fine_ ,” he says tightly. Jackson watches with silent exasperation while he stubbornly struggles to pull himself up with the wall as his support.

“I don’t know why that was easier than letting me help you,” Jackson quips when he finally manages to get back on his feet.

Jaebum just glares at him.

“ _Hyuuung_ ,” Jackson whines when the next thing he does is turn back to the symbol.

Once again, Jaebum ignores him. “I don’t understand,” he mutters, brushing his fingers along its black lines. “I did everything I was supposed to.”

Then, a dark look crosses his face. He suddenly pushes off the wall and whips out his wand.

“Hyung, what are you doi—? Hey, don’t point that thing at me!”

Jaebum waves the wand around in a series of flourishing movements, speaking a stream of words in that same weird language, louder and clearer than before and now most definitely _not_ Korean. Jackson observes all of this with steadily mounting concern.

As expected, nothing happens.

With a growl of anger, Jaebum throws his wand down into the snow. “I can’t believe this!” he snaps. “My powers are gone.”

He suddenly whips towards Jackson. “Your world, doesn’t it have any magic?” he asks, eyebrows drawn together.

“Not to my knowledge.”

“You’re certain?”

“Pretty certain, yeah,” Jackson says.

Jaebum shakes his head. “I thought for sure, with all the wonders your world has. Light energy harnessed in glass bulbs? The advancement of your anabraic carriages? There’s no way those things were created without magic.” He looks to Jackson for confirmation, his eyes doubtful.

“Nope, just good old fashioned science and technology.”

Jaebum drags a hand through his hair and groans in frustration. “No wonder Jinyoung sent me here. He knew I’d be trapped. Without any magic I can’t open the door.”

At this point Jackson decides that he’s had enough. If he has to stand there in the cold for one more minute listening to Jaebum spout off crazy talk, he’s going to go crazy himself.

He bends down and retrieves Jaebum’s wand. “Here, hyung,” he says, holding it out to him. “We should go back now. I’m freezing my butt off.”

Jaebum takes it with a sigh and returns it to his pocket. “Thanks,” he murmurs. He sends one final glance back at the wall of ivy. “I’m never going to get home,” he mutters miserably.

When he turns back to face Jackson, his eyes are heavy with sadness. “You think I’m insane.”

Jackson’s heart clenches. He’s hit with a rush of guilt for what he’s done to Jaebum. None of this would have happened if he had been driving more carefully.

“Let’s go home and change and then we can figure it out, okay?” he says instead of answering him. “Maybe you’ll feel better with rest.” _And if not,_ he thinks, _one way or another he’s going to the hospital._

“I don’t know what it’s going to take to make you believe me,” Jaebum says bitterly, but starts to follow him anyway.

Jackson is stepping out of the courtyard’s stone archway onto the street when he realizes that Jaebum is no longer walking beside him. He turns back to find that the latter has stopped and seems to be digging around in his coat for something.

“Hyung? What are you doing?”

“I just remembered something,” Jaebum replies, excitement coloring his voice.

Then, a moment later, he freezes with his hand still tucked deep inside a hidden inner pocket. When his head snaps back up, a huge grin lights his face.

Jackson doesn’t get to see what it is he found, however, because the next moment Jaebum is taking him by the hand and pulling him toward the street. “You’re right,” he says. “Let’s go back. I have something to show you.”

Jackson has no other choice but to follow him.

✧･ﾟ:┈☆┈♛┈☆┈:･ﾟ✧

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So do we believe Jaebum? Or are we with Jackson and think he's crazy?
> 
> And any ideas on what it is Jaebum found in his pocket? 😉
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who read and commented on the first chapter! I am already blown away by the response this fic has gotten. I never thought it would get so many hits & kudos, and I am grateful for each and every one. I hope everyone liked chapter two just as much 😊
> 
> Find me on tumblr: <https://jxebum.tumblr.com>


	3. Chapter 3

✧･ﾟ:┈☆┈♛┈☆┈:･ﾟ✧

For all the nagging Jackson does, Jaebum is insistent on waiting until they get back to the apartment to reveal whatever it is he wants to show him.

Jackson whines impatiently when he makes them change into dry clothes first and then whines some more when Jaebum makes them both eat lunch, too. However, as soon as they’re finished eating, Jaebum ushers him over to the couch. While Jackson sits, he moves around the living room, shutting all of the curtains and turning off all the lights.

“Hyung, it’s so dark,” Jackson complains. “Where are you?”

“I’m here,” Jaebum says and Jackson feels the cushions shift beside him. He can just make out the other boy’s outline an arm’s reach in front of him.

“Why did we have to turn the lights out?”

“It works better this way,” he says vaguely.

Jackson is practically dying with suspense at this point. He wishes Jaebum would stop being so damn mysterious and just get on with it. “What does?” he all but begs.

“This,” Jaebum says, finally reaching into his pocket. What he pulls out is a tiny glass ball. Confused, Jackson leans closer and sees that suspended inside of it is a miniature galaxy of stars. He lets out a gasp when he realizes that the stars are glowing.

“What is it?” he breathes.

“It was meant to be a gift,” Jaebum explains. In the faint light, Jackson notices a sad smile on his face. “For my boyfriend. I found it while we were out shopping. He always loved whimsical things like this, so I bought it to surprise him.”

“It’s beautiful,” Jackson murmurs in appreciation.

Jaebum grins. “You haven’t even seen the full of it yet.”

Before Jackson has the chance to ask what he means, Jaebum turns and tosses the glass ball into the center of the room. Against all laws of physics, the ball freezes and just _hangs_ there, suspended in midair. The shout forming in Jackson’s throat dies in an instant.

And then, the room explodes with light.

Jackson cries out and ducks to hide his face in the couch cushions. Beside him, he hears Jaebum chuckling. He feels a warm hand on his back.

“Jackson-ah, it’s okay,” Jaebum says softly. “Look.”

With Jaebum’s reassurance, Jackson slowly peeks his head up from the cushions. And when he does, his jaw falls open.

Because somehow his living room has become a universe of stars.

Jackson sits up in wonder. He feels a bit weightless, like he’s been tossed out into outer space. He brushes his hand through the inky black air around him and gasps when he’s met with a feeling of resistance. It feels like brushing his hand through a curtain of silk.

“Whoa,” he breathes in awe.

In a daze, he stands and wanders out into the room, his face tilted back to stare up at the sea of stars around him. They seem to go on endlessly in every direction. Enchanted, he reaches up to touch one.

“It’s warm!” he gasps, yanking his hand back in surprise.

Ever so carefully, he cups his hands around the star and gently pulls it down to cradle in his palms. He gasps again.

“It has a pulse! It almost feels alive.”

He runs a finger over the smooth, glass-like surface. The star hums with warmth in response to his touch and pulses with light. “It’s beautiful,” he murmurs.

He suddenly turns around to face Jaebum, who is watching him with a smile that seems almost bittersweet.

“How is this possible?” Jackson asks him.

Jaebum smiles. “Magic.”

“It’s unbelievable,” Jackson regards, turning his gaze up.

“It is,” Jaebum quietly agrees, but his eyes are not on the universe of stars, but on Jackson.

Jaebum stands and walks out into the middle of the room. He takes the glass ball down from where it still hangs suspended in midair and holds it out in the palm of his hand. Jackson makes a disappointed noise when the universe is sucked back into the confines of the glass.

A breath later, Jackson’s living room is dark and empty, like nothing ever happened. Jaebum slips the glass ball into his pocket.

“Do you believe me now?” he asks as he goes over to flip on the lights.

“I . . . I think I do,” Jackson admits. He feels the truth of it, of everything Jaebum has been telling him, settle heavily on his shoulders. What other explanation could there be for what he just saw?

Jackson returns to the couch, suddenly feeling like he needs to sit down. Jaebum comes over and sits beside him.

“This is nuts,” he professes, shaking his head in disbelief. “So you really aren’t my Jaebum?”

“As I’ve been trying to tell you.” A light, teasing smile plays on his lips.

Jackson scowls at him. “How the heck was I supposed to know? I didn’t even _know_ there are other worlds!”

It dawns on him just how many implications this statement has. So many questions run through his mind that he doesn’t know what to ask first.

“How many are there, exactly?” is what he settles on.

“An infinite number,” Jaebum tells him. He shrugs. “At least that’s what Jinyoung tells me. He’s the one with the ability to travel between worlds.”

“Is that what you are, too? A traveler?”

Jaebum shakes his head. “No, not really. I can only move through doorways with Jinyoung’s help. Trying to get through that doorway in the courtyard was just a shot in the dark, really. I didn’t know if it would work or not. Maybe if your world was magical, I could have been able to make it work, but since it isn’t . . .” He winces. “I’m stuck until Jinyoung comes to get me.”

Jackson frowns. “But you said that you’re banished. Doesn’t that mean you aren’t allowed to go home?”

Jaebum lets out a short, humorless laugh. “I guess the only thing I can do is hold onto hope that the prince will change his mind.”

“Why _did_ the prince banish you?” Jackson asks, unable to contain his curiosity.

“It doesn’t matter.”

Then, a sudden realization hits Jackson. He doesn’t know why it didn’t occur to him until that very moment, but now he feels stupid for not being able to put two and two together. Especially since the truth was pretty much right in front of his face the entire time.

“Hold up a second,” he says as he slowly pieces it together. “Last night you said your boyfriend banished you. Now, today, you’re saying that it was the _prince_ who banished you.”

Jaebum’s face remains impassive. He hums noncommittally in response and Jackson’s confidence wavers. _Was I wrong?_

But then he notices the way that Jaebum shifts ever so slightly in his seat and the flicker of panic in his eyes as he looks away from Jackson’s scrutinizing gaze. That’s how he knows his suspicion must be right.

A knowing smirk creeps its way onto his lips. “Your boyfriend is the prince, isn’t he?”

Jaebum clears his throat. “What? No, he’s not.”

“Yes he is, you big liar!” Jackson insists, his expression alit with excitement. “It’s written all over your face. You love him.”

Jaebum must sense his defeat, because after that he drops the act. “It was supposed to be a secret,” he mutters. “No one was supposed to know.”

“And who the heck am I going to tell?” Jackson asks incredulously.

Jaebum sighs. “I guess you have a point.”

“Tell me all about him,” Jackson prompts then. “I want to know how you guys met, how you fell in love. All of it.”

He tucks his knees to his chest and makes himself comfortable as he anticipates the answer. He’s surprised to find that he’s no longer opposed to the idea of Jaebum being in love with someone else. It kinda changes things to know that the Jaebum sitting before him and his world’s Jaebum are two entirely different people with two very distinct and separate love lives. He’s only maybe a _little_ bit jealous of the prince.

Jaebum looks at him with an uncertain expression. “You really want to know?”

Jackson nods enthusiastically. “Yeah, definitely. All of the Jaebum’s I know are lame as heck, so I’m wondering how in the world you managed to score a prince for a boyfriend.”

“Hey, watch it!” Jaebum scowls, shoving at Jackson’s knees.

Jackson straightens, laughing. Jaebum feigns being cross with him, but the edges of his eyes are soft with humor. It makes Jackson’s heart suddenly ache with fondness for the other boy. He swallows hard.

“So, how’d you guys meet?”

Crossing his arms over his chest, Jaebum leans back against the couch and kicks his feet up on the coffee table. His eyes get a dreamy, faraway sort of look as he ponders Jackson’s question.

“Well I guess it kind of starts back at my childhood.” He glances over at Jackson, again with uncertainty in his expression. “But I don’t know if you want to hear my whole life story.”

“I do! I want to know everything. Please, keep going,” Jackson encourages with a nod.

A twinge of a smile tugs at Jaebum’s lips. “Alright, if you say so.” He leans his head back against the cushion and his eyes get that distant look again.

“When I was very young, I lived on the streets,” he begins. “I grew up in a poor region of the empire where this was common. To be honest, it was so long ago that I don’t remember much of how my life was then, but that’s probably for the best.”

He smiles. “I do remember the day it changed, though. It was pretty clear to me by this point that I was magical. I think I always sort of knew that it was there inside me, but I was maybe six or seven when it finally started to manifest itself. Before I even really knew how to control it, I tried to use magic to steal food from a street vendor. As you might guess, I got caught.”

“Oh, no,” Jackson breathes. “You didn’t.”

Jaebum laughs. “Yeah, I did. And thinking back, it must have been pretty obvious, too. I think I tried to levitate an apple or something. But anyway, a couple of city guards were dragging me away kicking and screaming, probably just to give me a couple of lashes and then send me on my way, when a man in these beautiful shimmery robes came up and stopped them.”

With the wonder in his eyes as he recounts that day, Jackson can picture the awe on little Jaebum’s face as he looked up at this strange man.

“He was so elegant, I swear when he walked his feet didn’t even touch the ground. And he was clearly powerful too, with the way the guards responded to him. I think I thought he was a king.”

“I later found out that he was an arch mage from the citadel. He told the guards that he would look after me and they turned me over to him, no questions asked. They left and he asked me to walk with him. And I did.” 

“Wild little Jaebum trusted him just like that, huh?” Jackson asks, his smile teasing.

Jaebum shrugs. “He had this sort of aura about him. He told me that he was like me and that if I wanted he would bring me to a place where I could learn to control my magic and be safe and have a home.”

“So you went with him?”

“I went with him,” he confirms. “That man’s name was Archmage Zhou and he will always be the greatest influence and mentor of my life. I owe everything I have today to him. He brought me to the citadel and gave a room of my own, clean clothes to wear, and three meals a day.”

He looks over at Jackson and smiles. “And he gave me a family.”

Jackson finds himself thinking back to when he came to Korea to train under JYP, still just a kid himself, and realizes that his story doesn’t feel all too different from Jaebum’s.

“It’s where I met Jinyoung,” Jaebum continues. “And Yugyeom and Youngjae and Mark.”

Jackson blinks in surprise. He wonders what divine powers are at work in the universe to bring the same people together again in entirely different circumstances. Somehow Jaebum must have always been meant to meet them, no matter which universe he was from.

“You know them,” Jackson hears Jaebum say and he looks over to find the other boy reading his expression with curious eyes. “The others, I mean. Yugyeom and Youngjae and Mark.”

Jackson nods. “They’re your friends here, too. You work at the same company together and have for years, since you were all teenagers. They’re my friends, too, actually.”

“Funny how that works, isn’t it?” From his tone, Jackson can tell that he isn’t surprised to hear this.

“You don’t think it’s weird?” he asks.

“I’ve known this about the universe for a long time,” Jaebum explains. “Some things may change, but a lot remains the same. I can’t tell you the number of times Jinyoung returned from a trip between worlds to tell me how similar it was to our own.”

“You can change the circumstances,” he continues. “Or even the entire structure of the world,” he says, gesturing to the room around them, “but people will still find their way to each other.”

“That’s incredible,” Jackson murmurs, shaking his head in disbelief. It gives him an inexplicable comfort to know that it was somehow written by fate for him to come to Korea and meet Jinyoung and all of his other friends. It only confirms what he’s already believed for years: They’re all soulmates.

“So then what happened?”

“I learned about magic and how to use it,” Jaebum says simply. “I studied hard for years and when I was old enough and proved that I was ready, the mages gave me a wand to amplify my magic. It’s a symbol of learning and achievement amongst magicians.”

“Is that the same one you have?” Jackson asks, pointing to Jaebum’s pocket.

Jaebum nods and pats the outside of his pocket with a fond expression. “It is.”

“But how’d you meet the prince?”

“Hold on, I’m getting there,” Jaebum says, laughing at Jackson’s pouty expression. “Not long after I got my wand news travelled that there had been an attempt on the emperor’s life and the lives of his three sons. The same day, Archmage Zhou received news that the royal palace was sending a representative to the citadel. They wanted four of our best magicians to serve as personal guards to the emperor and the princes.”

“And they chose you.”

He nods. “Me, Jinyoung, Mark, and Yugyeom were the four they chose.”

“What about Youngjae?” Jackson asks, distraught that the bright, sweet dongsaeng he’s come to know and love would be left behind.

“Youngjae found his calling elsewhere. As head gardener for the royal palace, of all things,” Jaebum laughs. “He always had a knack for green magic.”

“Anyway, where was I?” he resumes. “So we left the citadel for the capital city and as soon as we arrived we were sworn in as members of the royal guard and assigned to our posts.”

“How old were you?” Jackson asks, curious.

“Fifteen or sixteen, I think.”

Jackson balks. “That young?”

“Most of us were fully trained magicians by fourteen,” Jaebum says with a shrug. “And since the older boys leave the citadel for assignments once they receive their wands, we were the best choices available.”

“Who was everyone assigned to?”

“Mark was given the oldest prince, the heir, me the middle prince, Yugyeom the youngest, and Jinyoung the emperor.”

Jackson lets out a low whistle. “Jinyoungie to the emperor? Impressive.”

“He was the obvious choice,” Jaebum admits. “Out of the five of us he was always the one who worked the hardest and read the most books and put the most effort into perfecting his magic. It was only right that the honor be his.” Although he doesn’t outwardly say it, the pride Jaebum has for his best friend is evident.

“So that’s how you met then?” Jackson asks. “You were assigned to be your prince’s protector and as you spent time together you fell in love and the rest is history?” He sighs longingly at the thought. What he wouldn’t give to have an epic love story like Jaebum’s.

Jaebum laughs. “No, not at all. It took us years to warm up to each other. He was stubborn and adamantly against having a personal guard with him at all times. The prince liked his freedom and he was rather, shall I say, _difficult_ to keep track of. I can’t count the number of times I got in trouble for abandoning my post because he decided to disappear. Which, of course, he did on purpose and as often as possible.”

“What a brat,” Jackson remarks.

Jaebum looks over at him, his eyes shining with amusement. “The biggest.”

“So then how _did_ it happen?”

“I guess as we got older and more mature we came to realize that we didn’t actually hate each other,” Jaebum says with a short laugh. “I realized that he wasn’t the rich, spoiled brat I thought he was and he . . . Well, I still don’t know what he saw in me.”

He looks over at Jackson with a sheepish expression. “Sorry, I know it’s probably not the exciting love story you were hoping for.”

“You don’t have to apologize,” Jackson replies. “I loved listening.”

Even though Jaebum’s story is over, and he truly _did_ enjoy listening, Jackson doesn’t feel very satisfied with the conclusion. His questions are nowhere near being all answered. In fact, he has infinitely more now than he did before the story began.

What he _really_ wants to know is how Jaebum and the prince broke up, but the other boy has made it clear that he doesn’t want to talk about it. Jackson can understand well enough that it must be too fresh and painful for him to want to discuss, but that doesn’t make him itch to know about it any less.

Jaebum quirks his brow at him. “What else do you want to know?”

“Huh? Oh, I, uh—” Jackson stammers, taken aback by how easily Jaebum was able to pick up on his thoughts.

Jaebum laughs. “It’s okay, I don’t mind. You can ask me anything.”

_Anything except your breakup, you mean._

But the offer is of course too enticing to pass up. He sits up straighter and presses his palms together, bringing the tips of his fingers to his lips as he considers what he wants to ask. “Hmm . . .”

“Oh, I know! What in the heck is an anabraic carriage anyway?”

“Really? _That’s_ what you want to know?” Jaebum teases, but tells him nonetheless.

They spend hours like that, sitting on the couch across from each other, talking. Jackson asks Jaebum any and every question he has about his life in the other world and Jaebum good naturedly does his best to answer each one, no matter how ridiculous. Sometimes Jackson asks the most absurd questions on purpose, just to make the other boy laugh. It makes a strange, sweet and sour mix of feelings bloom in his chest every time. In one moment he’s struck by how beautiful the sight of Jaebum’s crinkly, smiling eyes is and how his loud laugh rings like music in his ears, and then in the next he’s breathless with a profound sense of loss when he realizes that this is what he’s been missing.

Still, he selfishly wants to soak up as much of the sound as possible, no matter the pain it may come to cause him later on.

At some point Jackson stretches out his legs, stiff from sitting in the same position for so long, and lays them in Jaebum’s lap. It’s unconscious—a habit developed from countless nights spent hanging out with Jinyoung and the other boys crowded together on his couch, watching movies or playing video games.

_Oh my god, wait, what am I doing?_

He’s mortified as soon as he realizes his mistake. He’s about to pull away but is instead astonished when Jaebum simply lays his arms across his legs and continues right on talking, like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

Some time later, Jaebum leans back and stretches, joints audibly popping. “What time is it? I’m starving.”

Jackson cranes his neck to see the digital clock on the microwave. “Oh, wow. It’s already 7:22.”

Jaebum drums his fingers against Jackson’s leg and hums thoughtfully. “Should I make us something to eat?”

Jackson is suddenly overwhelmed by how comfortable and domestic this all feels. This is what he’s wanted with Jaebum for so long and it’s like a sucker punch to the gut every time he remembers that this isn’t _his_ Jaebum he’s sharing these moments with.

_And it never will be,_ he thinks as a lump starts to form in his throat.

“Jackson?”

He tears his eyes away from where they’re fixated blankly on the dark, snowy window across the room. He finds Jaebum looking over at him with knitted brows.

“Hm? Oh, uh, yeah. That’d be great,” he says, offering up a weak smile.

“Seun-ah? Is everything okay?”

It’s the gentleness and the soft concern in the other boy’s voice, and the way that he says his name, almost _lovingly,_ that suddenly has Jackson’s eyes pricked with tears. He swallows around the lump in his throat and tilts his head back, blinking rapidly to clear the tears away before they fall.

“I’m fine,” he says, but his voice is low and raspy.

Jaebum doesn’t look convinced. “You’re sure?”

“I . . .”

Jackson hesitates. As he does, the words he was reaching for catch in his throat. Embarrassment rushes in. He feels his face warm and he shies away from Jaebum’s gaze in a weak attempt to hide it. _God, why is this so hard all of the sudden?_

He takes a shallow breath and attempts to organize his scattered thoughts.

“. . . Hyung, can I ask you a question?”

“Of course,” Jaebum replies right away.

“In your world . . . do you and I know each other?”

Jaebum looks away before Jackson is able to decipher the look in his eyes. He rubs at the back of his neck and lets out a short, humorless laugh. “I was wondering when you’d ask,” he murmurs.

“That means we do, don’t we?” Jackson guesses, trying to keep his voice steady against the unsteady beat of his heart.

“Yeah, we do,” Jaebum admits after a long moment of silence. He still doesn’t meet Jackson’s gaze. “We’re friends. At the palace. It’s, uh, where we met.”

“Oh.”

He isn’t sure why he feels so disappointed.

“I guess that explains why you’ve been so familiar with me,” he says with a humorless laugh to mirror Jaebum’s own. “My Jaebum’s never been this comfortable around me. I really should have known all along you weren’t him, shouldn’t I? Looking back on it.”

He looks down and absently picks at the hem of his shirt until he hears Jaebum say his name. He freezes when he hears what follows.

“Jackson, are you in love with me?”

In a panic, his eyes flash to Jaebum’s and he finds the other boy watching him with a calm expression. He hates how difficult he is to read, when he knows that his own emotions must be written all over his face as plain as a flashing billboard sign that reads, “Hi, I’m Jackson Wang, and yes, I am in fact in love with you!”

“With your world’s Jaebum, I mean.”

Jackson’s shoulders deflate in relief. _That’s right_ , he remembers. He doesn’t have to worry about rejection because, well, this isn’t _his_ Jaebum he’s confessing to.

Still, he tries to deny it. “With my Jaebum? What—No, of course not! That’s ridiculous, hyung.”

Jaebum gives him a thoroughly unimpressed look.

“Okay, fine,” Jackson relents with a _humpf_. “Maybe I am.”

“ _It’s written all over your face_ ,” Jaebum teases, mimicking Jackson’s voice as he uses his own words against him.

“I don’t sound like that!”

“Sure you don’t,” Jaebum says and pats his leg.

Jackson glares at him, which does nothing but make the other boy laugh.

“So how long?” Jaebum asks him then.

“How long have I had feelings for you?” Jackson clarifies. He flushes. “I mean, er, for my Jaebum?”

_Whoops._

“It’s okay, I know what you meant,” Jaebum assures him.

“I guess since I was seventeen,” Jackson says in reply to his question. “That’s how old I was when I moved here and joined the company we work at. And it’s how old I was when I met you,” he adds more quietly at the end.

Jaebum winces. “That’s a pretty long time.”

Jackson nods in agreement. “Yeah, that’s probably why this is so . . .” _Hard? Painful? Breaking my heart?_ He can’t quite find the right words to describe precisely how it makes him feel, but Jaebum seems to understand nonetheless.

“I see,” he murmurs.

They both fall silent.

“Sorry if it makes this weird for you,” Jackson finally speaks up. He looks down at his hands and nervously plays with his fingers, intentionally avoiding Jaebum’s eyes. “I know you said you and your Jackson are friends. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“Don’t worry about me,” Jaebum says and gives his leg a light squeeze. “However you feel is okay.”

When he looks up, Jaebum gives him a reassuring smile and it’s enough to make him feel better about the whole situation.

A shy smile makes its way onto his lips in return. “Thanks, hyung,” he says.

He’s a little amazed at how accepting Jaebum is of his feelings for his alternate universe counterpart. If only it could be this easy with his own Jaebum.

“I’m going to make us something to eat,” Jaebum says then. He lifts Jackson’s legs off his lap and stands, his back cracking loudly as he does. Jackson tries his best not to admire the way Jaebum’s muscles flex as he rolls his shoulders back but fails miserably. Admittedly, he wasn’t trying very hard.

“I guess it’s a constant for every Jaebum to have the body of an eighty-year-old man, huh?” Jackson quips with a grin on his face, in reference to his own Jaebum’s persistent back issues.

“This eighty-year-old man can still whoop your ass if you don’t show more respect,” Jaebum fires back, his eyebrows raised in warning.

_Mm, I bet he can_ , one half of Jackson’s brain thinks, while the other thinks, _Gross, stop, don’t be weird!_

“Seun-ah,” he hears Jaebum call, and his head swings toward the kitchen. “Come tell me about the company you and I work for. You never told me what you do.”

Jackson’s face lights up. He leaps up from the couch and pulls his phone from his pocket to bring up his downloaded music library. What better way to show Jaebum what he does than to play it for him?

“Coming, hyung!” he replies and bounds into the kitchen with his phone in hand.

✧･ﾟ:┈☆┈♛┈☆┈:･ﾟ✧

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I guess Jaebum isn't crazy after all, huh? But you guys already knew that, since you're all too hard to fool 😆
> 
> What's your favorite line or quote so far, if you have one? Or perhaps you have a favorite scene instead? Pls know that I love reading all of your comments, you're all so cute 🥰
> 
> Get ready for some  
> (∩ ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)⊃─☆ *:・ﾟspice .*･｡ﾟ  
> next week! hehe
> 
> Find me on tumblr: <https://jxebum.tumblr.com>


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be warned, there is some  
> (∩ ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)⊃─☆ *:・ﾟadult content .*･｡ﾟ  
> in this chapter

✧･ﾟ:┈☆┈♛┈☆┈:･ﾟ✧

“So, you and Jinyoung are a duet?”

“Mmhm,” Jackson says around a mouthful of ramen. He swallows and then chugs some bottled water to wash it down.

“Sorry,” he then says to Jaebum, who is watching him from across the kitchen island with raised eyebrows. “I didn’t realize how hungry I was.”

Jaebum laughs. “It’s fine.”

“But yeah, to answer your question, JYP debuted us as a two member group. We’re called JJ Project or JJP for short.”

“JJ? As in Jinyoung and Jackson?”

“Yep. Creative, right?”

“Very,” Jaebum chuckles.

“And so does that mean that this world’s Jaebum is a, er—wait, what did you call it again?”

“Idol?” Jackson offers.

“Yeah, right. Does that mean he’s an idol, too?”

Jackson nods. “He’s JYP’s most successful solo artist. You—I mean, uh, he has a world tour scheduled for this coming summer. Tickets are almost sold out, too, from what I’ve heard.”

“That’s . . . Wow,” Jaebum murmurs, a look of awe on his face.

“Remind me to play you some of your music after dinner,” Jackson says. He decides in that moment to give up on trying to verbally distinguish his Jaebum from alternate universe Jaebum. Jaebum always seems to know which one of them he’s talking about anyway.

“And you said all of the other boys work there, too?” Jaebum asks before shoveling an enormous portion of his ramen into his mouth. _I don’t know how he fits all that in there,_ Jackson thinks, shaking his head to himself.

“They do. Youngjae is a solo artist like you, and Mark, Yugyeom, and Bambam are in a R&B group together with another boy named Chan.”

As soon as he says this, something clicks in Jackson’s mind.

“Oh my god!” he exclaims, though it’s muffled by the food in his mouth. “I forgot about Bambam!”

Jaebum’s head snaps up. For a moment he looks confused, but then his expression clears and he lets out a laugh. “Prince Kunpimook, you mean?”

Jackson just about spits out his food.

“ _Bambam_ is the prince?”

“No, no! Jesus, no. He’s the youngest prince, not the middle. And he’s adopted, actually.”

“Why didn’t you say anything earlier?”

Jaebum gives him a puzzled look. “Earlier?” Then, his eyes brighten in recognition. “Oh, that’s right, you mentioned your brother bought you those god awful—” But then he suddenly clamps his mouth shut.

Now Jackson is the one with the puzzled look. “My brother? Bambam’s not my—”

Then, it hits him.

_Oh,_ he thinks.

Oh.

Jaebum suddenly stands and starts collecting their dirty plates in a hurry. “The dishes! I should, uh— They need to be—” he stammers, nearly fumbling one in his rush to pick it up.

He leaves Jackson sitting there, staring at his empty chair across the island in shock.

In a daze, he replays all of the things Jaebum has said and done in the last day and night. He finds himself suddenly recalling little details he never would have thought twice about until now, like the strange sadness he caught in Jaebum’s eyes when the other boy didn’t think he would notice. The more he thinks about it, the more that previously insignificant details of his interactions with Jaebum strike him as odd. The unusual way Jaebum reacted when he realized that he was the one who found him in the snow, and the way he avoids talking about his breakup at all costs. But it’s the biggest realization that hits him last.

Jaebum never told him the prince’s name.

And then Jackson is on his feet. He moves around the island and enters the kitchen, stopping just inside the entryway. Jaebum is standing at the counter with his back to him, scraping their leftovers into the trashcan beneath the sink.

“Jaebum-hyung,” Jackson says quietly.

He sees Jaebum’s shoulders tense.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Jaebum places the bowl in his hands down on the counter. He doesn’t turn around when he asks, “Tell you what?”

“Hyung, please,” Jackson says, a quiet pleading in his voice. “Don’t do that. Don’t pretend.”

Finally, Jaebum turns to face him. His expression is carefully guarded, but even Jackson can’t miss the shadow of fear in his eyes.

“I _know_ you, hyung,” he presses on, a certain urgency, almost desperation, building in his voice. “And I know that my Jaebum has never said my name like you do.”

Tentatively, he moves closer.

“You and your Jackson aren’t just friends, are you?”

Jaebum is silent. He stands against the counter, wordlessly watching him with sharp, dark eyes. There seems to be a subtle warning held there, but Jackson isn’t afraid. Jaebum doesn’t move away when he steps up in front of him.

“Your prince,” Jackson murmurs as Jaebum’s eyes drop to his mouth. He sees the other boy swallow when his eyes do the same. “He’s me, isn’t he?”

Before he can second guess himself, Jackson closes into Jaebum’s space and presses his lips to his.

Jaebum tenses.

Doubt instantly rushes in and Jackson starts to retreat, to take it back with an apology forming on his tongue but is stopped when he feels Jaebum’s arms slip around his back. Jaebum pulls him into his chest and Jackson stumbles forward with a gasp. Jackson’s eyes flutter shut as Jaebum parts his lips with his own and slides their mouths together. Jaebum kisses him in a way that makes him want to turn to jello in his arms. It’s deep, and languid, and searching. Jackson can’t help the soft moan that falls from his lips.

This seems to somehow startle Jaebum back to his senses because suddenly he’s slipping out from Jackson’s embrace, moving away.

“Wait, just—just please wait,” he says, out of breath.

When he turns back to face Jackson, his eyes are dark with want, but his expression is conflicted.

“You know that I’m not your Jaebum, right?” he breathes.

Jackson nods. “Of course, hyung. I know.”

“Then why—” Jaebum starts, but then stops and shakes his head. “Then why would you want this with me and not him?”

To this, Jackson isn’t sure he has an answer. Maybe it’s because he’s wanted this for so long and here Jaebum is, looking at him like he’s the love of his life. Maybe it’s because his Jaebum and the Jaebum before him are so much the same person that if he didn’t know better, he would never think there was a difference—and _hadn’t_ until he was faced with indisputable evidence that proved otherwise. Or maybe he’s just so much in love with Jaebum already that he can’t help himself.

“It doesn’t make sense, I know,” Jackson says. “But all I know is that you’re him and he’s you and I’m in love with you. To me, it doesn’t feel complicated. It feels right.”

Jackson slowly approaches Jaebum again. He tentatively moves back into his space and is surprised when Jaebum lets him. He doesn’t touch the other boy for fear of scaring him off and instead looks to his eyes for some sort of confirmation that what he’s doing is okay. Meeting Jaebum’s heavy-lidded gaze, Jackson leans up on his toes and lightly brushes his lips against his. The other boy takes a deep shuddering breath and his eyes flutter shut. Then Jackson feels his arms slip around his waist as Jaebum gently draws him back in.

“I never thought I’d get to have this again,” he murmurs against Jackson’s mouth. “To have you.”

“Then have me,” Jackson replies. “I’m yours.”

And that’s all it takes for Jaebum to finally kiss him, to _really_ kiss him. All their hesitation falls away and they kiss each other hungrily, desperately, with a fire that wasn’t there before.

Jaebum’s hands slide up under the back of his shirt, pulling a shuddering breath from Jackson as his warm hands brush against his bare skin. One hand trails up the curve of his spine, leaving a burning path in its wake, while the other presses into the small of his back, bringing their bodies even closer together.

Jackson’s hands are just as busy, winding their way up into Jaebum’s hair. He tugs lightly on the soft strands at the same time that he bites down on Jaebum’s bottom lip. It pulls a low growl from the back of his throat and the sound goes right to Jackson’s dick.

The next thing he knows, Jaebum is turning him around and pinning him against the kitchen counter. Jackson bites back a moan at the feeling of the full, heavy weight of Jaebum’s body pressing against his. Jaebum’s lips drop to Jackson’s jaw and he slowly drags his mouth down the column of his neck. This time Jackson doesn’t manage to hold back a loud moan when Jaebum bites down on a sensitive spot above his collarbone.

“ _God_ ,” Jackson manages to get out between the kisses that Jaebum splays against his neck, always somehow finding the most sensitive spots. “You’re so good—so good to me—”

“Only for you, my love,” Jaebum murmurs by his ear, sending a thrill across Jackson’s skin. He groans in response.

Desperate to feel more of him, Jackson’s hands unravel from Jaebum’s hair and snake their way down to his waist line, where they dip beneath his shirt and run along the taut muscles of his lower abdomen, brushing just above the band of his underwear. A shaky gasp falls from Jaebum’s lips and he presses forward into the touch, unexpectedly brushing their crotches together. Jackson lets out a whine when he feels the hard weight of him rub up against his own growing arousal.

“ _Hyung_ ,” he wines, an unspoken plea in his voice.

“Impatient,” Jaebum laughs. The low, breathless sound of the older boy’s quiet laughter does almost as much to turn Jackson on as everything else. He can’t help it when his hips involuntarily buck forward, searching for more of Jaebum’s touch.

They both gasp at the sudden contact.

“Okay, okay,” Jaebum relents, huffing out another laugh.

He leans down and presses a surprisingly chaste kiss to Jackson’s lips, a stark contrast to the passionate kissing they were doing only moments ago. It makes Jackson’s heart stutter.

“Hyung, I—” he starts to say, but his words cut off in a surprised yelp when Jaebum suddenly slips his hands under the back of his thighs and hoists him up into his arms. He backs him up against the refrigerator, bringing their chests flush together.

Jaebum laughs at his reaction and presses another kiss to his cheek. This seems to give him an idea, because his lips are then trailing back down his neck to the sensitive spot above his collarbone. Jackson cries out as the other boy sucks a bruising mark into his skin

“ _Ah,_ hyung, please,” he gasps, squirming in Jaebum’s arms at the feeling.

“Stop moving around or else I’m going to drop you,” Jaebum murmurs.

“Well, we do—” Jackson pants between more relentless kisses to his neck. “Have a — _ah, fuck_ —perfectly good counter right here.”

Jaebum hums thoughtfully at this. The deep vibrations against his skin do nothing but add to Jackson’s growing arousal _and_ impatience.

“I had another place in mind, actually,” Jaebum replies and smirks at Jackson’s responding moan.

“Get on with it, then,” he practically begs and finally manages to capture Jaebum’s roaming lips in a desperate kiss. He parts the older boy’s lips with his own and licks shamelessly into his mouth, using his new added height in Jaebum’s arms to his advantage. He kisses him like this, wet and messy, until they’re both left breathless and panting into each other’s mouths.

“Point taken,” Jaebum huffs when they finally come back up for air.

He readjusts Jackson in his arms and starts carrying him in the direction of the bedroom. While the other boy is focused on not dropping him, Jackson takes the opportunity to drag his lips along the sharp jawline he’s admired for so long. He presses a kiss below his ear and feels the other boy shudder when he traces the shell of his ear with his lips.

“Ah, Seun-ah, stop. I’m sensitive there,” Jaebum complains and half-heartedly tries to fend him off.

An evil grin makes its way onto Jackson’s lips as they hover undeterred by his ear. “Here, you mean?” he innocently asks as he takes his earlobe between his teeth and tugs on it lightly.

Jaebum sucks in a sharp breath.

Jackson pulls back to look at him, snickering at the reaction he caused, but the sound dies in his throat when he sees the blatant and unabashed want in the other boy’s dark eyes. He swallows heavily.

They enter Jackson’s bedroom and as soon as Jaebum lays him down on the bed, Jackson wastes no time pulling him down on top of him. He catches his lips in another breathless kiss and shamelessly grinds his hips up into his. Jaebum groans into their kiss and the sound sends heat rushing to Jackson’s already painfully hard arousal. After that he sets to work taking off Jaebum’s clothes.

“Somebody’s eager,” Jaebum murmurs, amusement glinting in his eyes as he leans back to let Jackson remove his shirt.

“It’s because _somebody_ won’t quit being a giant tease and get on with it already,” Jackson complains. He’s working on pulling down Jaebum’s sweatpants when he suddenly yanks his hand back with a gasp.

“Hyung—your leg!” he cries in horror.

The entire upper half of Jaebum’s right thigh is covered in a gigantic bruise. It’s easily bigger than Jackson’s hand. The center of it is a dark, angry red with the edges just beginning to purple.

He knows right away what it’s from. The guilt of what he’s done reaches in and squeezes its fingers around his heart in a sudden and painful grip. _I could have killed him,_ he thinks.

A hand comes up to gently caress his cheek. “Hey, stop that,” Jaebum urges him. “I’m fine.” Jackson looks up into Jaebum’s soft, concerned eyes. “It was an accident, Seun-ah.”

“Besides,” he adds with a laugh, “the one I gave myself is worse.” He turns his shoulder to show Jackson.

“Oh, hyung . . .”

He doesn’t know how he didn’t notice it before, because this bruise is indeed much worse. The color has already darkened into a deep purple and is splotched with patches of blue and yellow. Jackson’s stomach twists at the sight of it.

“You’ll just have to be more careful with me,” Jaebum says.

“You’re sure you’re not in too much pain?” Jackson asks, doubtful. “I don’t want to keep going if you are.”

Jaebum’s fingers find the hem of Jackson’s shirt. He pauses, looking to Jackson for approval. Despite not having received an answer to his question, Jackson nods in earnest. The moment the shirt is discarded, Jaebum places a hand on his chest and gently pushes him back against the mattress. Jackson’s breath hitches as the other boy trails the same hand down his chest, a look of appreciation in his eyes as his gaze sweeps over his exposed torso.

“Far from it,” Jaebum murmurs. It takes Jackson’s lust-muddled brain a moment to register his meaning.

Jackson is starting to form a response, but his train of thought is interrupted when Jaebum’s hand palms over his clothed arousal. The response Jaebum gets instead is a loud, needy moan and hips that press up into the touch.

“C'mere,” Jackson murmurs nonsensically after, and makes grabby hands at Jaebum. The other boy laughs and lets Jackson pull him down on top of him. The warm feeling of Jaebum’s exposed chest against his own is intoxicating. They kiss each other slowly, languidly until Jackson is dizzy from it.

Jaebum breaks away and pushes himself up on his arms and knees so he’s hovering above Jackson. “Hyung, what are you—?” Jackson starts to ask, but the words cut off in a gasp when Jaebum’s head suddenly dips down to brush his lips over a hardened nipple. He peers up at Jackson with a smug expression, like he _knew_ the reaction he was going to get.

Jackson opens his mouth to squawk at the nerve of him but is once again interrupted when Jaebum’s head dips back down. Jackson’s hand flies up to stifle the _incredibly loud_ noise he makes when Jaebum mouths over his hardened length. He can feel the other boy’s hot breath through the thin material and the wetness of his mouth and he has to bite back another moan at the feeling.

“Stop that,” Jaebum murmurs against his thigh. He nips lightly at the skin. “Wanna hear you.”

Jackson obediently moves his hand away from his mouth. “God, can you get any hotter?” he says helplessly. “Telling me what to do like that, taking charge. You’re the only one I’d ever let boss me around, you know. But maybe I like it. Hyung could do anything to me and I bet I’d like it.” He doesn’t even know what he’s saying, really, but he feels the deep vibrations of Jaebum groan against his thigh, so it must be something right.

When Jaebum pulls down his underwear and takes him in his mouth, Jackson doesn’t think he could suppress the noise that comes out of his mouth even if he tried.

Jaebum settles into a slow, tantalizing rhythm that turns Jackson into writhing mess beneath him. He’s panting heavily and making tiny, high-pitched noises in the back of his throat each time Jaebum’s mouth sinks down around him. The pace is tortuous and Jackson is so wrecked that he doesn’t know what to do with himself or where to put his hands. Jaebum seems to sense this, because without breaking pace, he reaches up to grab one of Jackson’s hands and place it in his hair. Taking the not-so-subtle hint, Jackson winds his fingers into the other boy’s soft, dark hair and tugs on it experimentally. He’s surprised when Jaebum moans around his length in response.

Jackson cries out when Jaebum suddenly takes him deeper than before. His head hits the back of his throat and the feeling sends pleasure rocking through him. “Ah! Shit—!”

Jaebum holds him there, buried in his mouth, and pins his hips down against the mattress to prevent him from moving. “H-Hyung, please,” Jackson begs him, straining against his hold. Finally, Jaebum relents and pulls off, slowly dragging his tongue along the underside as he does, making Jackson throw his head back with a breathy gasp.

He notices, then, the way that the other boy presses himself into the mattress, grinding his hips down to relieve some of his own need. “Hyung, let me,” Jackson whines and tries to pull him back up.

Jaebum brushes his hands away. “No, I wanna focus on you,” he murmurs and presses a kiss to his hip bone. “Wanna make you feel good.”

Jackson’s mouth goes dry when the next thing Jaebum does is gently push his legs apart and trail a hand up the inside of his thigh. A surprised gasp falls from his lips when he feels Jaebum brush a finger against his entrance.

“Do you have anything?” he asks Jackson, his eyes dark and heavy-lidded with want.

“The drawer.”

Jaebum climbs off the bed to retrieve a small bottle of lube from his bedside drawer. While he sets to work squeezing some onto his fingers and warming it in preparation, he leans down to capture Jackson’s lips in a sweet kiss.

“Are you sure this is what you want?” he murmurs when he pulls back. His eyes are suddenly soft with uncertainty and it makes Jackson’s heart swell. He can’t help but pull him back in for another kiss.

“What was that for?” Jaebum laughs when he breaks away.

“For being literally the sweetest boy I’ve ever met,” Jackson replies.

Jaebum blushes and hides his face in Jackson’s neck. “Stop,” he grumbles.

Jackson laughs at his reaction. “Jaebummie, you’re so cute and sweet,” he teases him in a sing-song voice, tickling his sides as he does. “Jaebummie, you’re so nice to me.”

Jaebum squirms away from his touch. “Ah, quit it, you brat,” he complains, though the glare he gives him is far from being serious.

A suggestive smirk crawls onto Jackson’s lips. “Maybe you should teach me a lesson, hyung.”

Jaebum’s eyes visibly darken.

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you, love?” he murmurs, dragging his eyes down Jackson’s naked body as he seems to seriously consider his suggestion.

Jackson all but whimpers at his use of the term of endearment. He finds himself nodding.

The next thing he knows, Jaebum flips him over onto his stomach and rutches his hips back so his ass is lifted up in the air. Jackson has to stifle a moan against the back of his hand when he feels precome weep from his hardened cock. He’s evidently going to need Jaebum to do _something_ soon or else he might just come untouched without him. That’s just how aroused the other boy has him.

In stark contrast to the lewdness of this new position, Jaebum leans over him and presses a soft kiss to his shoulder blade. “This is okay, right?” he whispers over his shoulder.

Jackson nods. “Yes, yes, just please touch me.”

“As you wish, my prince,” Jaebum murmurs, a light teasing in his voice.

The implication behind his sweet words registers with Jackson only a moment before Jaebum slips a finger into his entrance. After that, his mind washes blank with pleasure and he can’t seem to remember what Jaebum said to give him pause in the first place.

Jaebum slowly works him open with his steady ministrations and seems to know right away when Jackson is ready for another finger. Two isn’t quite enough to make him feel full, but when he slides a third in, the stretch and the way Jaebum curves his fingers just right are enough to have Jackson panting against the bed sheets.

A warm hand runs down the curve of his back. “Is this good?” he hears Jaebum ask.

“Y-Yes,” Jackson manages to respond. “Just—I need more.”

Without warning, Jaebum thrusts his fingers into Jackson and finally hits him directly where he needs. He cries out in pleasure and sees stars bloom behind his eyes.

“Like that?” Jaebum asks in a smug way that reveals he knows _precisely_ the effect he has.

“ _God_. Yes,” Jackson moans. “Keep going.”

And Jaebum does just that. He slides his fingers out and thrusts them back in at a steady, deliberate pace, each time hitting that same spot inside of him. Jackson fists his hands into the sheets in a weak attempt to anchor himself against the waves of pleasure that hit him each time Jaebum thrusts his fingers in. It feels so good that he can’t even bring himself to be embarrassed by all of the loud noises he’s making.

Faintly, Jackson thinks that if there’s one thing to be embarrassed about, it would be how quickly it’s taken to bring him to the edge, but who can honestly blame him for that? It’s all Jaebum’s fault, really.

“Ah, hyung— _fuck_ —I’m—I’m close,” Jackson gasps out, bucking his hips back against a particularly hard thrust.

It’s then that Jaebum reaches around and wraps a hand around his cock. After that, all it takes is a few firm strokes to make Jackson fall apart completely under his touch. He comes onto the bed sheets, crying out and shaking. Jaebum thrusts his fingers in over and over again, drawing out his orgasm for as long as possible, until it eventually becomes too much and Jackson whines at the oversensitivity.

Jaebum slides his fingers out and Jackson collapses against the mattress, his body feeling pleasantly warm and tingly. He lays there for a long moment, catching his breath and letting his mind slowly drift back from its post-orgasm haze.

Jaebum crawls over and flops down on his back beside him with a soft sigh. When he notices Jackson peering over at him, a lazy grin spreads across his face. He looks just about as blissed out as Jackson feels.

Though it quickly turns to confusion when Jackson suddenly pushes himself up onto his forearms, a faint sense of alarm ringing in his head. “Hyung, you didn’t—?”

His eyes turn down toward Jaebum’s black boxer briefs and there he finds the evidence that confirms his suspicion. The front of his briefs is dark and wet.

“Jaebum!” Jackson cries in distress and swats at the other boy’s chest when his reaction is to laugh. “It’s not funny! Why didn’t you let me do it? I would have done it for you.”

Jaebum gives him a sheepish look. “It, uh, wasn’t really something I could help.”

Jackson’s eyes widen. “Oh.”

“I’m sorry, my love,” Jaebum apologizes. He reaches over and gently brushes a strand of hair back from Jackson’s damp forehead, his expression thoughtful. “Though I would have enjoyed letting you help me, I promise that I still enjoyed it this way just as much. More, even.”

“I love making you feel good,” he murmurs, and grins at the blush that colors Jackson’s face in response.

Jackson buries his face in the crook of Jaebum’s shoulder and groans in frustration. “Ugh, you’re such a jerk. You think you can just sweet talk your way out of this? Don’t you even care that those are _my_ underwear you came in?”

He lifts his head up from Jaebum’s warm skin to gauge his reaction and lets out a squawk of outrage when he sees the other boy’s smug and entirely unremorseful expression.

“I should have known you like coming in your pants,” he bemoans.

He snuggles back into Jaebum’s side with a huff and closes his eyes to the feeling of Jaebum’s chest shaking with quiet laughter.

“Seun-ah, before you fall asleep, let’s get you cleaned up,” Jackson hears Jaebum say. He opens his eyes and blinks groggily. He didn’t realize that he’d started to drift off.

“Hm? Oh, okay,” he replies. Admittedly, he does feel kind of gross laying in his own drying cum. “Yeah, let’s go shower.”

“You don’t think the pipes are still frozen?”

Jackson swears. “Shit, you’re right. I forgot.”

Jaebum eases Jackson off of his side and sits up. Jackson grumbles at being forced to give up their comfortable position but lets him go anyway. “I’ll be right back,” Jaebum promises and disappears into the bathroom.

Moments later, Jackson hears the distinct sound of the shower being turned on.

He swears that it’s totally innocent when images of Jaebum’s back, naked and _wet,_ in all of its broad glory suddenly come to mind. Biting his bottom lip, Jackson finds himself entertaining thoughts of sinking to his knees in the shower and returning Jaebum’s favor.

_Okay, maybe not so innocent_ , he admits.

Grinning, Jackson scrambles off the bed and hurries after him.

✧･ﾟ:┈☆┈♛┈☆┈:･ﾟ✧

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think that it was important to me when writing this fic that if this scene was going to happen between them, then Jackson was going to have to be the one to initiate it. Otherwise I was worried that it would feel like Jaebum was taking advantage of Jackson's feelings.
> 
> My sister betas all of the stuff that I write & when she read this chapter she was like NOOOOO, because she felt strongly that Jackson should be experiencing this with his Jaebum not alternate universe Jaebum. What do you guys think? Was it okay that this happened? Or do you agree with her?
> 
> I think it's okay that it happened (obviously, since I wrote it this way 😂). What I see between them is simply two boys aching for each other's love. It's like what Jackson said: To him, it doesn't feel complicated. It feels right. And I agree. 
> 
> Anyway, I love all of you & I am so grateful for your continuous support of this fic!! I hope I did an okay job with this chapter, since it's my first ever smut 🙈
> 
> Find me on tumblr: <https://jxebum.tumblr.com>


	5. Chapter 5

✧･ﾟ:┈☆┈♛┈☆┈:･ﾟ✧

“So, why haven’t you made a move yet?”

Jackson lifts his head off Jaebum’s chest to look up at him, brow knitted in confusion. They’re currently tangled up together under his sheets, which they promptly changed after their shower.

“What do you mean?” Jackson asks him.

A teasing smile plays on Jaebum’s lips. “Why haven’t you made a move on your Jaebum?” he clarifies.

“Hey, who says it’s _my_ responsibility to make a move?” Jackson protests, poking Jaebum in the side. Then, a twinge of sadness comes over him when he thinks about his relationship with his own world’s Jaebum. “Besides,” he murmurs, looking away, “my Jaebum doesn’t have feelings for me. I don’t think he’s even into guys, to be honest.”

At this, Jaebum laughs. “That, my love, is one thing that remains constant in all the universes. The experiences may change, but the essence of the soul is always the same. Trust me, he likes guys.”

Jackson looks up, hope thudding in his chest. Although he’s still doubtful that the Jaebum he’s known for years could ever love him in any romantic capacity, he can’t help but admit that what Jaebum said gives him a glimmer of hope.

“But that still doesn’t mean he likes _me_ ,” he mutters.

Jaebum runs a hand through Jackson’s damp hair, making him sigh contentedly. He leans down and brushes his lips against his forehead and presses a light kiss there.

“Jackson,” he murmurs against his skin. The way he says his name, with such love and revere, makes Jackson’s heart ache. “I don’t think there’s a single version of me who’s met a single version of you that would ever be able to resist falling deeply, madly in love with you. As cheesy as that sounds.”

He laughs. “It’s the essence of my soul to be completely weak to your charms.”

“Then what’s the essence of _my_ soul?” Jackson asks, curious to hear his answer.

A certain sadness makes its way into the other boy’s eyes. “To stupidly fall in love with me in return.”

“Hyung,” Jackson speaks up after a long stretch of silence spent deep in his own thoughts. “Can I ask why you and the prince broke up?”

Jaebum is quiet.

“I’m sorry,” Jackson apologizes when too much time passes by without receiving an answer. “I shouldn’t have asked. It’s none of my business.”

“No, no, it’s okay,” Jaebum says quickly. “I was just thinking. I want you to know, really, I do. I just . . . It’s hard to talk about. It’s still so fresh.”

The pain is evident in his eyes and Jackson almost regrets bringing it up.

“We don’t have to talk about it, hyung,” he says.

Jaebum shakes his head. “No, I made a vow to always be honest with you.”

_Not to me, you didn’t,_ Jackson thinks with a pang of jealousy, but decides to keep it to himself. It wouldn’t be fair for him to add his own heartache to Jaebum’s, especially when he’s clearly still torn up over his breakup with the prince.

“He wanted to get married.”

Jackson pulls back a little bit in surprise. “The prince? And you?”

Jaebum nods. “He wanted to make it official, with a royal announcement, an engagement ball, all of it. But he’s—he’s just so _young._ And to throw his youth away for a magician in his royal guard?” He shakes his head and trails off.

“He’s meant to be courting,” he eventually continues. “A few weeks ago, we came here, to the capital of the Han province, so he could court with royals from the region.”

“Han province?” Jackson asks, confused.

“Sorry, I forgot it’s different here. You call the peninsula Korea, right?” Jackson nods. “In the empire we call it the Han province.”

“The emperor and empress arranged this trip for him months ago. He didn’t want to go, of course, because of me, but I . . . I was the one who convinced him that it might be a good idea,” Jaebum says, closing his eyes and letting out a sad sigh.

Jackson can’t help but feel a sense of betrayal for his alternate universe counterpart.

“Why would you do that?” he asks.

Jaebum doesn’t look at him when he says, “He wasn’t supposed to fall in love with me. He’s supposed to marry a high born girl and continue the royal line. If something were to happen to his older brother, the heir, then he would be next in line for emperor. He can’t be the emperor and have a male magician as his consort. And even if we could somehow make it work, I wouldn’t be able to stand the things people would say about him, the things they’d say because of _me._ ”

Again, he’s quiet for a moment.

“I thought that if he came and saw the life that could be his, that _should_ be his, then he would realize we aren’t meant to be.”

“And it didn’t work,” Jackson states. He knows himself well enough to know that he would never let Jaebum go that easily.

“No,” Jaebum confirms with a grave expression. “It didn’t. So I had no other choice but to end it myself.”

“You broke up with him.”

Jackson sits up so he can look at Jaebum more directly. He needs to see his face when he tells him the truth. Otherwise, he simply wouldn’t believe that Jaebum could ever end things with the prince, with _him_. Not when he seems to be so deeply in love with him.

Yet Jaebum’s expression confirms that it’s true. The pain is evident in every line of his face.

“I did,” he whispers. “I broke up with him. It was the only way to convince him that this isn’t what I want anymore. It was the only way to get him to move on.”

“So you lied to him.”

“I did what I had to for him to be free of me.”

Jackson crosses his legs and pulls the sheets up around his shoulders. His knee rests against Jaebum’s side. “I’m guessing he didn’t take it very well. That’s why you’re here, isn’t it?”

Jaebum nods. “He stripped me of my position in the royal guard and ordered my banishment. He told Jinyoung that he never wanted to see me again. Jinyoung must have known I’d try to find my way back, so he sent me to the one place that would make that impossible.”

“He willingly separated you?” Jackson frowns.

“He was following orders,” Jaebum says simply, with no hint of resentment in his voice. “I would never ask him to put our friendship above his duty, even though I strongly suspect he wouldn’t anyway. He’s always been a stickler for the rules.”

“Did he say if he would be back for you?”

“Before he sealed the doorway, he told me that he would try to persuade the prince to reconsider the terms of my banishment. Which is more than I could have asked from him. The last thing he told me was to be patient,” Jaebum recalls with a dour look.

Jackson laughs. “He knows you,” he says, thinking of how very _im-_ patient Jaebum has been to return to his world over the past day and night.

“Hyung, why _are_ you so eager to get home?” he asks then.

“It’s still my duty to protect him. Every moment spent here is a moment where he is without my protection.”

“But he dismissed you from his guard. He said he never wants to see you again. How do you plan on protecting him if you aren’t allowed near him?”

“I can still protect him from afar, even if he won’t know it.”

Jackson suddenly feels profoundly upset by all of this.

“So that’s it then?” he demands. “You’ll spend the rest of your life watching him from afar? Being able to see him but never be with him? Jaebum, why would you do that to yourself?”

“I’ll never be able to sleep knowing he could be in danger,” Jaebum says. “Not being with him is a small price to pay for his safety and happiness.”

Jackson moves his knee away from Jaebum’s side, no longer being able to reconcile his desire to be close to him and the sudden anger he feels toward him. The hurt in Jaebum’s eyes tears at Jackson’s heart, but it’s not enough to outweigh his feelings.

“So you just get to decide all of this for him?” he asks. “Did you even consider how _he_ feels about it? Hyung, he’s clearly willing to risk everything to be with you! Why can’t you do the same for him?”

“He doesn’t understand,” Jaebum murmurs, looking away. “He’s blinded by his love for me.”

“You’re right,” Jackson says harshly. “I could never understand why you’d throw away a lifetime of happiness with the man who loves you for something as stupid and trivial as court politics.”

“He’ll be happier without me.”

Jackson pulls back as if slapped. He stares at Jaebum in disbelief and slowly shakes his head. “No,” he says. “No, you’re wrong.”

As he says this, he feels the truth of it in his heart. Now that he’s experienced just a small fraction of what it’s like to be loved by Jaebum, he knows that a Jackson that’s felt the full force of his love would never be able to know any other, because no one else could ever compare.

“If you really think that I’d be happier without you, you’re wrong,” he says, his voice cracking as he fights back tears of frustration.

And with that, he climbs off the bed and leaves for the bedroom door. He refuses to listen to even one more second of Jaebum trying to justify his breakup when the whole thing feels so very _wrong_ in his heart.

Jaebum calls after him, trying to stop him. “Jackson, wait—”

But Jackson ignores him. He needs space to calm down and sort his thoughts before he has to face him again. He pulls the door shut between them, the sound echoing loudly through the apartment.

He wanders out into the living room and finds himself drawn to the window. He cups his hands around the glass and peers out into the dark to find that it’s still snowing heavily with no signs of having let up from their trek that morning. Jackson leans back and sighs, wondering at his chances of making it to work tomorrow.

He turns away from the window and freezes.

“What in the sweet hell—?”

Burned into the wall directly beside his couch is a black symbol. The shape of its harsh, curving lines instantly strikes Jackson as familiar and something in him knows that it’s the same symbol from the courtyard.

A doorway between worlds.

He blinks, half expecting it to vanish. When it doesn’t, he stands there staring at it with a dumbfounded expression, wondering how in the world he had possibly missed it.

It’s then that he notices a strange smell hanging in the air. It’s faint, but whatever it is, it’s unlike anything he’s ever smelled before. The scent is sweet, but inexplicably sharp and pungent at the same time.

“Hey, hyung?” he calls into the apartment.

A few moments later, he hears the bedroom door open and footsteps approach from down the hall. Jaebum appears, still wearing only his black briefs. “Jackson? What is it?” he asks, his eyebrows drawn in worry.

But then he sees what Jackson is looking at and he stops. “Oh.”

When he looks back over at him, his expression is complicated. “Jinyoung was here,” he states, even though Jackson already gathered as much.

“Why did he leave?” he asks.

Oddly enough, Jaebum responds by sniffing the air. “I think he must have been here about an hour ago.”

Jackson’s eyebrows knit. “An hour ago? That was when we . . .” He thinks back to what they were doing an hour ago and feels his face get hot. “Oh.”

“Yeah,” Jaebum deadpans. “He must have decided to give us some, er, _privacy_.” He rubs sheepishly at the back of his neck, looking as equally embarrassed as Jackson feels at the thought of their friend overhearing their escapades in the bedroom.

Jackson clears his throat. “How do you know it was an hour ago?” he asks, changing the subject.

“The smell.”

“Oh! I smell that, too,” Jackson proclaims. “What is it?”

Jaebum blinks in surprise. “You can smell it?”

“Uh, yeah? Why? Is that weird?”

“In my world, it means that you have an affinity for magic. Only magic users can smell the scent of magic,” Jaebum explains, looking at Jackson in wonder. He shakes his head to himself and murmurs, “Unbelievable.”

Jackson frowns. “But my world isn’t magical, so what good does it do me?”

Jaebum gives him a look of remorse and Jackson’s heart falls. “The universe can be cruel sometimes,” is all he says, but it’s still answer enough. He’ll never get to do magic. Not in this lifetime, anyway.

_Yes,_ Jackson thinks, looking at Jaebum. _It can be._

He turns his gaze away and drags a hand through his damp hair. He still feels upset and frustrated, but mostly he just feels resigned. What’s the point of all of this, of having this extraordinary, otherworldly experience, if Jaebum is just going to leave and nothing will have changed for either of them?

He doesn’t look at the other boy as he brushes past him into the kitchen. “Thirsty,” he mutters.

Jaebum says nothing and lets him pass.

He’s about to open the fridge when he notices something out of place. Someone hung a note on the freezer door. The paper is clearly torn from his yellow memo pad, but the handwriting is not his own.

It’s Jinyoung’s.

He removes the magnet and takes it down. “Hyung,” he says. “There’s a note.”

Jaebum comes into the kitchen and stops by his side. Jackson hands him the note, expecting him to take it and read it in private, but he instead holds it between them for Jackson to read, too. So he does.

_Hyung,_

_For the sake of my eyes and both of our dignities, I’ve elected to return tomorrow. The royal family is leaving for the capital in the morning so there is no telling when I’ll be able to return to this doorway. The prince’s resolve has been unmovable, but I can’t stand the thought of leaving you here indefinitely. I’ll be back at dawn. Be ready or you will be stranded._

_Though I would understand if you chose to stay.  
_

_Jinyoung_

Jaebum finishes reading and hands the note over to Jackson, who reads it over a second time. When he’s done, he looks up at Jaebum. “Why doesn’t he know when he’ll be able to come back for you?”

“Doorways only connect the exact same place in both worlds,” Jaebum explains. “The capital city is in the middle of the Sichuan province, thousands of miles away. Creating a doorway there does me no good if I’m here.”

Jackson thinks over Jinyoung’s letter.

“You’re going back, aren’t you?” he asks.

Jaebum nods. “I have to.”

Jackson isn’t surprised by his answer, but that doesn’t make the sting of hearing it said aloud any less painful.

They’re both quiet for some time.

Then Jackson shuffles closer to Jaebum. He places the letter on the counter and reaches out, tentatively brushing his fingers against Jaebum’s.

“Hyung,” he murmurs. “I’m sorry.”

He looks up and searches the other boy’s face. Jaebum’s eyes visibly soften.

“Seun-ah, you don’t have to apologize,” he says. “I was the one who upset you. I should be the one apologizing.”

He takes Jackson’s hand and twines their fingers together.

“I don’t want to argue anymore,” Jackson says.

This seems to release some sort of unseen tension in Jaebum, because his shoulders deflate and he lets out a quiet sigh.

“I don’t either,” he agrees.

Then he tugs on the hand entwined in his own and pulls Jackson into his chest. His arms slip around his back, encircling him in a gentle embrace, and Jackson all but melts into the touch. He buries his face in the crook of Jaebum’s neck and lets out a shaky breath.

“Hyung,” he murmurs. “I know it’s selfish, but what if I wanted you to stay?”

Jaebum runs a warm hand down his back and up again. “Seun-ah, I’m not the Jaebum you’re in love with. You’re meant to be with him, not me.”

Jackson pulls back a little to look up at him. “But what if I never get that with my Jaebum? Just because you and your Jackson fell in love doesn’t mean that me and my Jaebum ever will.”

Then, sadly, he adds, “What if this is the one universe where we don’t end up together? Maybe this is the only chance I’ll ever have to know what it’s like to be with you. To be loved by you.”

His chest feels tight and his heart heavy with sadness. Part of him desperately wants to believe in the possibility of his Jaebum falling in love with him, but the other part is afraid of never knowing the love he’s experienced with alternate universe Jaebum ever again.

Jaebum’s mouth pulls up at the corners. “Aren’t you the one who tried to convince me that love is worth the risk?”

Jackson narrows his eyes at him. “Aren’t you the one who _wouldn’t_ be convinced? Didn’t _you_ try to convince _me_ that your Jackson is happier without you?”

Jaebum leans down and rests his lips against Jackson’s forehead. “I don’t know,” he murmurs. “My opinion might be changing. You’re not the only one who is afraid of never having this again.”

Jackson’s heart soars.

“Does that mean you’re going to marry him?” he asks. He bounces up and down in Jaebum’s arms and the other boy laughs at his excitement.

But then Jaebum’s expression turns serious again. He sighs. “I doubt it’ll be that easy. I don’t know how willing he’ll be to forgive me after I hurt him like this.”

Jackson considers this, thinking of his own personality and how he’d respond if he was in his counterpart’s position.

“He’ll forgive you,” he decides. “You’re right, it might not be right away, but eventually he’ll see that what you did was out of love. It might have been the most asinine, block-headed thing you could’ve done, but it was out of love nonetheless.”

Jaebum scowls. “Hey!”

Jackson reaches up and pats his cheek. “It’s okay, Bummie, we both still love you.”

Then he leans up and captures Jaebum’s lips in a short but sweet kiss. When he breaks away, he laughs at the look of surprise on the other boy’s face.

“What was that for?” he asks.

“Just driving my point home,” Jackson replies with a coy smile and a wink. Then he slips from Jaebum’s arms, leaving him standing there with a baffled expression.

He returns with two glasses of water and they sit down together on the same side of the kitchen island. Jackson rests his feet up on one of the rungs of Jaebum’s stool and Jaebum drapes an arm across his knees.

“What about you, my love?” Jaebum asks him.

“Hm? What about me?” Jackson repeats, confused.

“What will you do about your Jaebum once I’m gone?”

Those three words are like a punch in the gut. _Once I’m gone._ Jackson doesn’t want to think about tomorrow yet. Not when they still have this night left together.

He avoids answering the question. “What do _you_ think I should do?”

“I think you should go for it,” Jaebum says simply.

Jackson almost chokes on his water. Jaebum sits there looking vaguely alarmed while Jackson nearly hacks up a lung beside him.

“Hyung!” is what he says when he finally stops coughing long enough to form coherent speech.

“What?” Jaebum defends. “Why is it such a bad idea?”

“I _told_ you why! My Jaebum doesn’t have feelings for me.”

Jaebum sets his glass down. Although his expression is serious, his voice is surprisingly soft when he says, “Seun-ah, please understand this about me. It isn’t easy for me to express my true feelings. Remember how I told you that it took years for me to open up to my Jackson? It’s just my nature to be reserved, to not trust others with my feelings so easily.” He laughs. “It’s probably why I chose to be a musician in this world. I suspect songwriting is a much easier way to express myself.”

It’s true that it’s always been a point of astonishment for Jackson that the deep, emotional music that comprises Defsoul’s discography could have been written by the same quiet and aloof person he’s known his Jaebum to be.

“The prince used to say that the reason I’ve kept him so safe is because of the cold face I make when I’m guarding him,” Jaebum adds with a small smile. “I don’t even know I’m making a face, to be honest.”

“Here we call it a resting bitch face,” Jackson informs him.

Jaebum snorts. “I’ll have to share that one with the maknaes when I get home.” But then his face gets serious again. “Do you know how long I loved the prince before I was ever able to admit my feelings to him aloud?”

“Too long?” Jackson guesses.

The look of regret on Jaebum’s face is all the confirmation he needs.

“So you see my point?” he asks.

Jackson thinks that he does. Would it really be so hard for him to believe that his Jaebum could have feelings for him? What if all this time he’s actually been misinterpreting him? Maybe he really is just reserved like his counterpart says he is.

“What’s the worst that could happen?” Jaebum asks, eyebrows raised.

“You break up with me and I’m forced to banish you to an alternate universe?” Jackson jokes.

Jaebum winces. “Ouch.”

Thinking that his reaction is legitimate, Jackson quickly apologizes. “I’m sorry, hyung, that was insensitive.”

The other boy sets down his water and takes one of Jackson’s hands in both of his. He brings the hand up to his lips and brushes a light kiss against his knuckles. “Quit apologizing,” he murmurs. “I’m not upset.”

“If you say so,” Jackson replies, ducking his head to hide the embarrassed flush on his cheeks.

“Hyung, can I ask you a question?” he says when a thought comes to mind.

“You know you can.”

“It’s kind of embarrassing,” Jackson warns him. Even _he_ feels slightly embarrassed to be bringing it up at all.

“Jackson, what’s your question?”

Jackson gnaws at his bottom lip, reconsidering. Jaebum waits for him with an ever-patient expression. Before he can change his mind, Jackson asks, “Why didn’t you have sex with me?”

Jaebum laughs. “So that’s not what we did tonight?”

Jackson scowls at him. “ _Hyung._ You know that’s not what I mean.”

Jaebum observes his serious expression and sighs.

“I didn’t want your first time with me to be with _me_ ,” he explains. “I didn’t want to take that experience away from you and your Jaebum. It’s already bad enough that we did as much as we did tonight.”

Jackson’s face falls. “So you regret it.”

Jaebum takes his hand again and squeezes it. “Seun-ah, I regret none of it. What I meant is that I’m sorry for taking even a little bit of that experience away from you and your Jaebum.”

Then, he says, “You’re the man that I love. I could never regret a single moment with you.”

“But I’m not the prince.”

“Isn’t it just like you said earlier tonight? You’re him and he’s you. Sure there are differences, but what I see when you look at me is the same soul. It might not make sense to anyone else, but it feels right to us, so what else matters?”

“So you don’t regret it?” Jackson asks. He hates how small and insecure his voice sounds.

“I’ve made mistakes in the past few months,” Jaebum says. “Some of them very _big_ mistakes. This will never be one of them.”

Again, he takes Jackson’s hand and brings it up to his lips. “My Seun-ah. My love,” he murmurs against his skin.

Jackson feels like laughing or crying or maybe both at the same time. Who knew his heart could feel so happy and so sad all at once?

“ _God._ If I had known what a huge sap you were going to be I never would have picked you up last night,” he laments.

Jaebum grins at him. “You love it.”

“Maybe I do,” Jackson grumbles, and Jaebum laughs.

“We should go to bed,” Jaebum says then. “You look like you might fall off your stool.”

“You’ll just have to catch me,” Jackson replies, though his attempt at being flirtatious is kind of ruined by the loud yawn that follows right after.

Jaebum gives him a pointed look, amusement shining in his eyes.

“Okay, fine,” Jackson relents. “I guess I am pretty tired.”

Truthfully, he’s exhausted. It’s been a long day and he’s been on somewhat of an emotional rollercoaster. Bed does sound pretty nice at the moment, especially with the promise of a warm boy to curl up with.

Jaebum takes care of their glasses, then returns to offer Jackson a hand up.

“Coming?” he asks.

Jackson lets Jaebum pull him gently to his feet. “In a sec,” he murmurs in reply and slips his arms around a surprised-looking Jaebum’s waist.

He tips his head back and slots their mouths together, drawing a soft noise from the back of Jaebum’s throat. Jackson kisses him slowly and tenderly, wanting to take his time and memorize the feeling. Jaebum’s hands come up to cradle his face, one tangling in his hair and the other splayed warm against his neck. As they kiss, he caresses his thumb along his jawline.

It’s some time before either of them feels ready to break apart. When they finally do, they lean back and look at each other though hooded eyes, both a little bit drunk off the feeling of kissing the other.

Jaebum runs his thumb along Jackson’s bottom lip. “Thank you,” he murmurs.

Jackson lets out a surprised laugh. “Are you thanking me for kissing you?” he asks.

“ _No_ ,” Jaebum replies, pouting a little bit at Jackson’s amusement. “I’m thanking you for everything.” He studies the features of Jackson’s face, drinking him in as if he’s trying to commit his image to memory. He reaches up and brushes the hair away from his eyes, his expression soft. “Thank you for showing me all that I’ve lost by giving you up.”

“You haven’t lost me yet,” Jackson assures him, blushing under the intensity of his gaze.

“No,” Jaebum agrees. “There’s still time to fix everything.”

Jackson tries but fails to stifle another loud yawn on the back of his hand.

Jaebum laughs. “Ready for bed?”

Panic suddenly rises up inside of Jackson. It didn’t occur to him until that moment that once he falls asleep, his time with Jaebum will be over. If that’s the case, he isn’t ready for the night to be over. Not when these are the last moments they’ll ever have together.

“Maybe we don’t have to yet,” he says, gnawing on his bottom lip as he glances over at the clock on the microwave. 1:07 a.m., it reads.

“We don’t have to sleep, Seun-ah. We can stay up and talk for as long as you want.”

With Jaebum’s gentle reassurance, Jackson’s shoulders relax and he releases a breath. He doesn’t have to say goodbye. Not yet, anyway.

Eventually he nods. “Okay.”

He slips out of Jaebum’s arms and instead takes his hand. Together they return to the bedroom. As soon as they’re tucked under the sheets, Jackson wastes no time snuggling into Jaebum’s side. The other boy just quietly laughs and wraps his arms around Jackson’s back, holding him closer.

And they lay like that, tangled up in each other, talking quietly through the night. With soft words they reassure each other of the love waiting for them in the form of their counterparts, because although he pretends to be strong for him, Jackson can tell that Jaebum is afraid, too. He promises him that if he has to march into the other dimension to knock some sense into the prince, he will. Jaebum laughs and says that he’ll do the same for his Jaebum.

It’s in the fragile hours before dawn that Jackson’s eyes finally become too heavy for him to hold open any longer.

“Hyung,” he murmurs. “Gonna sleep now.”

He feels Jaebum run his fingers through his hair and sighs contentedly at the feeling.

“Then sleep, my love,” Jaebum says.

And so, Jackson closes his eyes and lets the pull of sleep carry him away, no longer afraid of what the morning will bring.

✧･ﾟ:┈☆┈♛┈☆┈:･ﾟ✧

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, now we know why alternate universe Jaebum and Jackson broke up. Is it what you expected? 
> 
> The next chapter is the official last chapter of this fic. Chapter 7 will be the epilogue. Any predictions as to how it will end? (lowkey not ready for it to be over yet ahh)
> 
> Thank you friends for all of your nice comments on the last chapter, you guys truly make this whole experience fun & worthwhile. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! 💞
> 
> Find me on tumblr: [ https://jxebum.tumblr.com](https://jxebum.tumblr.com)


	6. Chapter 6

✧･ﾟ:┈☆┈♛┈☆┈:･ﾟ✧

When Jackson wakes up, the bed is empty and Jaebum is gone.

The ache in his chest and the sharp feeling of loss are not unexpected. It’s the kind of grief that makes a person stand there and look at the rest of their life laid out before them and think _how is there anything that comes after this?_ But the pain of his absence is tempered by the knowledge that everything has been set right with the universe. Jaebum went back to his home, to his Jackson. _Where he belongs_.

Jackson reaches over and touches the spot he once occupied. The faintest memory of a pair of lips pressing softly to his forehead drifts into his conscious, but he can’t quite tell if it was real or just a dream.

He sits up and stretches, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Morning sunlight filters in through the window and bathes his sheets in its cool, wintertime glow.

_It’s not snowing,_ he suddenly realizes and climbs from his bed to go check.

Sure enough, the sky is clear and crystal blue. The sun is nearly blinding as it reflects off the thick blanket of snow coating the city and shines into his apartment.

Not one to want to wallow around in his sadness, Jackson dresses and heads down the hallway to find himself some breakfast.

Right away he notices that the black symbol has vanished from his living room wall. Jaebum’s boots are gone, too. Jackson can’t help but think that it’s almost like he was never there at all. Even the scent of magic has faded from the air.

He pushes these thoughts aside and forces himself to turn away from his empty living room. What good does thinking like that do him anyway?

He’s digging through his cabinets to find something, _anything_ to eat when he hears his phone buzz. It takes him a minute to remember where he left it. He finds it sitting out on the coffee table.

His eyes go wide when he sees all of the missed calls and unread text messages waiting for him. _Oops,_ he thinks with a cringe, realizing that they must have been trying and failing to reach him when his phone didn’t have service.

But then he sees _who_ they’re from and his heart does a flip. He unlocks his phone and quickly scrolls to the top to read them all.

**Yesterday:**

**Jaebum-hyung [2:06 AM]**

yah! didnt i tell you to text me when you got home?

**Jaebum-hyung [2:24 AM]**

i know you live in gangnam jackson it shouldnt take you over an hour to get home and text me

**Jaebum-hyung [2:39 AM]**

are you stuck somewhere? If you are i’ll come help dig you out

**Jaebum-hyung [2:44 AM]**

text me back you dumbass I’m worried

**Jaebum-hyung [3:01 AM]**

if i wake up to messages from you i’m gonna be pissed !! >:(

**Jaebum-hyung [7:26 AM]**

are you okay?

**[2 missed calls from Jaebum-hyung]**

**[1 missed call from Jinyoungie~♥]**

**Jinyoungie~♥ [8:55 AM]**

Hey, are you dead? If not, please text Jaebum before he has an aneurysm.

**Jaebum-hyung [9:03 AM]**

jinyoung said he couldnt reach you either. He gave me your address since i’m closer to your place than he is. if you don’t text me by 10 I’m going to come over and make sure your alive

**Jaebum-hyung [11:22 AM]**

snow is too bad, had to come back. just please text me when you get these ok?

**[1 missed call from Jaebum-hyung]**

**Jaebum-hyung [6:37 PM]**

jackson are you getting these?

**Jinyoungie~♥ [7:08 PM]**

If you’re not dead, I’m going to kill you. Jaebum has been texting me all day asking if I’ve heard from you yet. The one day off I get to spend with Gyeom in months and this is what I have to deal with instead. He thinks you’re trapped in your car somewhere, Seun-ah. Please just text or call one of us when you get these. I’m worried, too.

**My Baby Gyeom-ah [7:11 PM]**

hi hyung!! jinyoungie and jaebummie-hyung are worried about you so please text us soon!! theyre both being rly annoying but i told them i’m sure ur fine :)

**[1 missed call from Jaebum-hyung]**

**Today:**

**Jaebum-hyung [6:49 AM]**

i don’t know if you’re getting any of these but as soon as the streets are plowed i’m coming over

**Jaebum-hyung [9:12 AM]**

your car is here and you’re not in it so i guess that means you’re alive

Jackson’s eyes flash to the time at the top of his screen. 9:14 a.m., it reads. _Oh my god, he’s here right now!_ He quickly brings up Jaebum’s contact and hits the call button, his heart racing.

Jaebum picks up on the second ring.

“Hello?” he answers, his voice uncertain.

“Hyung, it’s me,” Jackson says and braces himself for the scolding he knows he’s about to receive.

But Jaebum doesn’t yell. Instead, Jackson hears him breathe an audible sigh of relief.

“Jackson,” he murmurs. “What the hell happened to you? Why didn’t you text me?”

Jackson’s stomach twists with guilt. “I’m so sorry, hyung. My phone didn’t have service because of the snow or else I swear I would have called you sooner. I’m sorry for making you worry. I feel so bad.”

“I’m just glad you’re okay,” Jaebum replies, surprising him with how gentle his voice sounds. He doesn’t sound upset at all. Just relieved.

“I’m going to buzz you in,” Jackson says then, not missing a beat. “You’re probably freezing. At least come in for a bit and get warm. It’s the least I can do after making you come the whole way here for me.”

There’s a long pause. Jackson can practically feel Jaebum thinking.

“Okay,” he says finally and Jackson’s heart leaps. “What’s your apartment number?”

A few minutes later there’s a short knock on his apartment door. Jackson jumps up from his seat at the kitchen island and hurries over to answer it. He undoes the chain and opens the door to reveal a snow-crusted Jaebum standing behind it.

_His_ Jaebum.

“Jackson Wang, I should throttle you,” he says with a weary shake of his head. He steps into the apartment and tugs Jackson into his arms. “You idiot, you had me so worried,” he murmurs over his shoulder.

Then he releases Jackson and simply walks past him into his apartment, like he didn’t just short-circuit Jackson’s brain by showing him physical affection. For a second, he wonders if it really is his Jaebum or one that’s been replaced another alternate universe imposter.

When he recovers from the shock, Jackson turns to find him standing in his living room, looking around at his apartment with curious eyes.

“Wow, this is shockingly normal,” Jaebum observes. “I thought maybe you were hiding some weird kink or something. At least that was the only explanation I had as to why you’ve invited all of our friends over but not me.”

Jackson blinks in confusion. “Wait, what _?_ Are you talking about movie night?”

Jaebum nods, suddenly looking sheepish. “I mean, yeah, that too. Or just in general, really.”

Jackson is stunned. His Jaebum wanted to _hang out_ with him?

“I—I had no idea you want to come, hyung,” he stammers. “Or else I totally would have invited you. You’re definitely invited next time, I promise.”

The small, pleased smile Jaebum gives him in response makes a warm, butterfly-filled feeling bloom in Jackson’s chest.

“Actually,” Jackson says as an idea comes to mind. He isn’t sure how the other boy will respond, but he decides to take his smile as encouragement. “I have some movies I’ve been meaning to watch. If you want, we could hang out here and have a movie day. To make up for the movie nights you’ve missed,” he adds with an apologetic smile.

He tries his best to sound nonchalant, but truthfully it feels like his heart might give out with how fast it’s beating.

Jaebum’s expression registers in surprise, and for a moment Jackson is hopeful, but then the other boy’s mouth settles into a frown.

“I can’t stay,” he says.

For the second time in two days, Jackson isn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. _The universe has a funny sense of humor,_ he thinks as he recalls how another Jaebum said those exact same words to him not even a day ago. It’s so strange, being faced with the loss of that Jaebum when his own Jaebum is standing right here in front of him.

Jackson must have done a poor job of hiding his disappointment, because Jaebum’s expression softens.

“I wish I could stay,” he explains, “but I have to get back to the studio. The demos for my next album are due in two days and I can’t even begin to tell you how behind I am.”

_Oh,_ Jackson thinks, feeling silly for thinking Jaebum simply didn’t want to hang out with him. Of course he has work to do.

“That’s okay, hyung, I understand,” he replies. “If you want, I could come help you instead. I know how to run the recording equipment.”

His face heats up when he realizes that he pretty much just invited himself back to JYP with Jaebum. _Crap. Not cool, Jack._

He’s about to say something to fix his misstep but stops when he sees the way that Jaebum’s face brightens.

“Seriously?” he asks. “You’d do that for me?”

Jackson nods. “Of course.”

Jaebum’s posture slackens with relief and it’s then that Jackson notices just how exhausted he looks. No wonder he stayed behind at JYP during the snowstorm when everyone else had already left. He must have been working nonstop to meet his deadline.

With a wave of guilt, he thinks that worrying about him being trapped somewhere in the snow probably didn’t do much to help with the stress.

“In that case,” Jaebum says with a tired smile, “I think I’ll have to take you up on that offer. You’d be a huge help.”

“Let me just get ready and grab my stuff and I’ll be ready to go in, like, ten minutes,” Jackson says as he walks towards the hallway. “I promise I’ll be quick.”

“Take your time,” Jaebum assures him, already sitting on his couch and making himself comfortable.

As promised, he returns in no more than ten minutes. Jaebum looks up and smiles when he notices him reappear.

It’s the smile that does it. For the briefest moment, a veil is cast over his eyes and Jackson forgets that it’s _his_ Jaebum and not another sitting there waiting for him. A cry of joy forms on his lips and he starts to take a step forward, to run to him. If it’s by mercy or some cruel trick of the universe, Jackson isn’t sure, but he barely begins to lift a foot when the veil is ripped away and he realizes his mistake. As he stands there reeling from shock and despair, he wonders how long it will take for him to be able to look at his Jaebum without this awful, twisting feeling of guilt.

“Hey,” Jaebum greets him, standing. He starts to walk over, but falters when he notices the look on Jackson’s face. “Are you okay?”

Although he feels far from it, Jackson nods and forces a smile. “I’m fine, hyung. Ready?”

Jaebum doesn’t look convinced but doesn’t press him further about it.

“Are we taking the metro?” Jackson asks him as they walk to the front door.

“Sorry, but I don’t know if trust you to drive in these conditions,” Jaebum replies, but grins afterward to assure Jackson that he’s joking.

Jackson wants to laugh out loud at the sheer irony of this statement. _I wouldn’t either,_ he thinks, recalling how his counterpart had to learn just how trustworthy he is the hard way.

“Um, hey, so you like that hot pot place that’s a couple blocks from HQ, right?” Jaebum asks while he waits for Jackson to put on his shoes.

Jackson looks up in surprise. How did Jaebum know he likes that place? It’s not like they’d ever gone there together.

He tilts his head a little bit in confusion. “Yeah, why?”

Jaebum rubs at the back of his neck, looking sheepish. “I, uh, I sorta called them while you were getting ready to see if they were open with the snow and whatnot. I thought maybe you’d want to stop and get breakfast there before we go into work.”

Jackson blinks, feeling dazed. “You did?”

Jaebum nods and Jackson realizes that he’s _blushing._ His cool, even-tempered Jaebum is blushing? Because of him?

“Yeah.” Jaebum looks down at his feet, then back up. “So, uh, would you want to go with me? I mean, we don’t _have_ to, I just thought maybe—”

“Hyung, that sounds great,” Jackson interrupts with a smile.

Jaebum looks surprised, like he didn’t expect him to say yes. “Really? Okay, cool.”

Jackson finishes tying his shoes and he looks up to find Jaebum extending a hand down to him. A surprised, but pleased smile tugs at the corners of his mouth and he takes it.

He stands, unexpectedly bringing himself eye-to-eye with Jaebum. For the briefest moment, so quick that Jackson isn’t sure if he imagined it, it looks like Jaebum is about to kiss him.

But then the moment shatters and they both quickly move away from each other, equally as embarrassed by the sudden intimate proximity.

“Ahem,” Jackson clears his throat, busying himself with pulling on his coat to calm the racing of his heart. “So, uh, hyung. How’d you know I like hot pot?”

Jaebum purses his lips into a pout. “You say this like we haven’t been friends for years. You really think I wouldn’t know your favorite food by now?”

Jackson stares at him. “You think we’re _friends?_ ” Did he hear him right?

There’s a flicker of something akin to hurt in Jaebum’s eyes, but it’s gone too quick for Jackson to be certain. The other boy brushes it off with a short laugh. “Aren’t we?” he asks, but somehow doesn’t sound quite so confident anymore.

“I’ve always considered us friends, hyung,” Jackson answers truthfully. Despite the other boy’s cold, seemingly uncaring nature, he’s always thought of him as his friend. Even as futile as it sometimes felt. “To be honest, I thought it was the other way around.”

“You thought I didn’t like you?” Jaebum asks, doubtful.

Jackson shrugs. It’s answer enough.

“You really thought I didn’t like you?” Jaebum insists, clearly not believing him.

“Well, you haven’t done the greatest job of showing it,” Jackson murmurs in defense, looking away to hide his embarrassment.

“Jackson,” Jaebum says.

It’s the softness in his voice that makes Jackson look up. He meets Jaebum’s steady gaze and is surprised by the sudden intensity he finds in it. He almost wants to look away but finds that he can’t.

“I like you,” Jaebum says. “I have since I met you and I’m sorry I haven’t done a good job of showing it. But I _do_ like you. A lot, actually.”

And, just like that, Jackson sees it.

He sees everything that alternate universe Jaebum told him about himself. About loving his own Jackson for years without being able to express it. About being reserved by nature and not easily trusting others with his feelings. And suddenly those two boys, separate and yet still the same, become one in his mind and sees the boy standing before him, the one that he, too, has loved for years, in a brand new light. And it’s dazzling.

A grin spreads across his face and Jaebum blinks at him in surprise.

“I like you, too, hyung,” he says.

For a moment, the universe shrinks down to the size of Jackson and Jaebum, big enough to fit just the two of them inside it. But to Jackson, it feels endless, like he could get lost inside the stars in Jaebum’s eyes.

Jaebum nudges Jackson in the side with his elbow and the universe returns to normal.

“You better like me,” he teases. “I’m the one buying you breakfast.”

“Well, let’s go then, I’m starving,” Jackson complains, drawing a laugh from Jaebum.

Together they leave his apartment, walking side by side. There’s a space between them, but Jackson can’t help but think that it feels smaller than it ever has before.

As to what they're walking towards, he isn’t sure yet. But he’s excited to find out.

✧･ﾟ:┈☆┈♛┈☆┈:･ﾟ✧

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've finally reached the end! (pls excuse me while I go cry)
> 
> Were you guys surprised to find that Jaebum had left while Jackson was sleeping? (also did you catch that Jackson's faint memory of a kiss on his forehead was him saying goodbye?) I think that they both preferred it this way, though, because neither of them like saying goodbye. And I also think that they both already know what the other feels and what they would say without them having to say it. They already have that unspoken understanding between them. What do you guys think? Was it right that it happened this way?
> 
> Aaaand Jackson's Jaebum finally entered the picture, as some of you we're hoping that he would! 😉 Did their interaction go the way you expected?
> 
> I think that they have a promising future, now that Jackson was able to recognize in his own Jaebum the things that AU Jaebum told him about himself. It was important to me that we left them on a hopeful note, but with things still not yet guaranteed between them. Because that was the point of Jackson meeting AU Jaebum - him coming to understand the things about Jaebum's personality that he didn't see before, and recognizing that even though a relationship isn't guaranteed between them, he has all the reason to be hopeful and excited about where they'll go from here. 
> 
> The epilogue will take place seven months later, so you won't have to wait too long to find out how they end up 😉
> 
> As always, I am sending you guys all of my love and appreciation for the amazing support you've given me through this whole thing. I heart every one of you! 💞
> 
> Find me on tumblr: [ https://jxebum.tumblr.com](https://jxebum.tumblr.com)


	7. Epilogue

✧･ﾟ:┈☆┈♛┈☆┈:･ﾟ✧

—Seven months later—

Jackson is running late.

He has his jacket on and his wallet in hand but he can’t find his damned keys.

He’s thinking that maybe he accidentally put them in the fridge again like he did that one time he was sleep deprived and delirious from pulling an all-nighter at the studio. It took him nearly a week of using the subway and bumming rides from his friends to find them again.

He’s about to open the fridge when a strange smell hits his nose.

At first he’s sure he imagined it. It used to happen every so often after that fateful night seven months ago. He’d be somewhere in his apartment and suddenly think he caught the scent of magic in the air. Then he would dash into the living room, hopeful to find a black symbol burned into his wall and Jaebum standing there waiting for him, only to be disappointed when he realized it was his mind playing tricks on him.

But this time the scent doesn’t vanish.

It’s faint, just like the first time he smelled it, but undeniably that very same sweet yet strangely pungent smell.

Jackson walks back out into the living room, his heart beating faster. He looks around, not quite allowing himself to be hopeful, and inevitably sees that he was right not to trust his senses. He lets out a quiet sigh. It was just his imagination again.

He turns around, thoughts once again on locating his keys, when something on the kitchen counter catches his attention. He freezes mid-step and his mouth falls open in shock when he sees what it is.

Sitting on his counter is a tiny glass ball, swirling inside with a galaxy of stars.

Ever so carefully, Jackson reaches down and picks it up. He never held it himself before, but as he lifts it up to get a better look, he’s sure that it’s the very same glass ball from his memories. The stars inside glow and pulse with a warm, white light.

Its presence in his apartment baffles Jackson. Confusion, and wonder, and joy, and bittersweet sadness dance inside him like the stars he holds cupped in his hand. How did it get there? _When_ did it get there? This has to mean that Jaebum was here, he’s almost certain of it. But if he was, why didn’t he want Jackson to see him? The thought of being avoided by the boy he once shared so much with hurts his heart.

Jackson is so preoccupied with these thoughts that he almost doesn’t notice the note.

He feels a sense of déjà vu when he sees the paper lying on the counter, but it isn’t a page ripped from his yellow memo pad like last time. It’s a folded piece of cream-colored paper, sealed shut with a red wax stamp. The glass ball must have been sitting on top of it, he realizes, as he picks it up.

He’s surprised at the weight of it in his hands. The paper is thick, official feeling. He brings it closer to examine the wax seal and blinks in surprise when he recognizes the Chinese character impressed into the design.

Wang. His family name, encircled by the spread wings of a phoenix.

Ever so carefully, as to not break the beautiful wax seal, Jackson slides his finger beneath the edge of the paper. He breathes a sigh of relief when it comes away intact.

He unfolds the paper to read it and is surprised to find that the note isn’t written in the scrawled shorthand that he’s expecting. Nor is it in Jinyoung’s careful, elegant script.

It’s his own handwriting.

_Once upon a time, this was a gift meant for me. I want you to have it instead. Thank you for everything you did for us. Neither of us will forget it._

_Jackson Wang-Lim_

Jackson reads the note over a second and third time, then sets it down on the counter. It takes him a moment to realize that he’s crying.

He lets out a surprised laugh and wipes his eyes. The tears aren’t from sadness, like he might have first thought, but from joy. Alternate universe Jaebum and Jackson got their happy ending together. They finally got married, like the prince wanted. Like Jaebum wanted, too, but was too blind to realize at the time. His heart is full of happiness for them both.

It’s then that his phone rings, making him jump in surprise.

Jackson pulls it out of his jacket pocket, nearly fumbling it in the process. When he reads the caller ID, he swears. It’s Jaebum. He reluctantly hits the answer button, knowing how much trouble he’s probably in.

“Yah! Jackson Wang, do you know what time it is?” his boyfriend’s voice comes through as soon as he picks up.

Jackson winces. “Sorry, hyung, I can’t find my keys,” he immediately apologizes. It’s only partially the truth, but he strongly doubts that Jaebum would believe the other half of his story.

There’s a pause from the other line.

Then, Jaebum asks, “Seun-ah, are you crying?”

Jackson’s heart swells at the gentle concern he hears in his boyfriend’s voice.

Their relationship is still new and in many ways they’re both still trying to find their footing, but by far Jackson’s favorite part of it all is discovering the subtle ways in which his boyfriend shows his affection.

He’s come to realize that Jaebum prefers the indirect approach to romance, choosing to convey his feelings through little, unexpected acts of kindness instead of the grand gestures that Jackson tends toward. He’s patient, and understanding, and is somehow always in tune to Jackson’s feelings and needs before he knows them himself.

“No,” Jackson lies, but quickly changes his mind. Jaebum will probably know he’s lying anyway. “I mean, I was, but I’m fine now. I promise.”

“Are you sure?”

Jackson looks down at the magic glass ball in his hand. There was a time when he would have clung to it and the hope it gave him, but it’s been a long time since he’s ached for the scent of magic in the air.

He closes his fingers around it.

“I’m sure,” he says.

Jaebum is quiet for a moment, probably trying to gauge if he truly is okay or not. “We don’t have to go out if you don’t want, Seun-ah,” he says, his voice soft and earnest. “I can come over instead.”

Jackson shakes his head. “No, I’ll be fine, hyung. Besides, we’ve been planning this for weeks. I don’t want to cancel because of me.”

“I don’t mind. There’s other things we can do instead.”

Jackson laughs at the suggestive hint in his boyfriend’s voice. “There’ll still be time for _other things_ afterward.”

Jaebum hums thoughtfully. “Mm, I dunno. I think I kinda like this idea more.”

“May I remind you that _you’re_ the one who insisted we go out to celebrate our six month anniversary?” Jackson points out.

“Fine,” Jaebum grumbles, relenting. “But if you don’t get over here soon they’re going to give up our reservation.”

“I’ll be there,” Jackson insists, choosing not to remind him about the whole lost keys part.

“Okay. Drive safe.”

“I will.”

“And Jackson?”

A small smile tugs on Jackson’s lips. “Yes, hyung?”

“I love you,” Jaebum murmurs.

“Love you too, Jaebummie,” Jackson replies. And he does. He really, truly does. “See you soon.”

Jaebum hangs up and Jackson slips his phone back into his pocket. He looks down at the glass ball and the cream-colored note and considers them for a moment. Then he opens a kitchen drawer, one that’s seldom used, and tucks them away in the back of it. Whether he’ll get them out again, he isn’t sure, but as soon as he shuts the drawer, they’re gone from his mind. More important is getting to dinner with the boy he loves.

He finds his keys in the pocket of his other jacket and rushes out the door approximately five minutes past the time Jaebum made their reservation for.

He pulls up in front of the restaurant just shy of 7:15, throws the car in park, and hands the keys to the waiting valet.

Jaebum, who was leaning against a column, watching him pull up, pushes off from his perch and descends the short staircase to meet him.

He’s a vision in all black, wearing close-cut jeans and a button up with the top few buttons undone, accentuating the silver pendant glinting against his pale chest. His long black hair is styled back to reveal a pair of mismatched silver earrings and the sharp cheekbones Jackson loves so much. To any other, the sight of him would be intimidating, but Jackson thinks he’s sexy as hell.

Jackson grins as he approaches, half in greeting and half in apology.

“You’re late,” Jaebum states.

“And you’re gorgeous,” Jackson replies, slipping an arm around his boyfriend’s waist and leaning up to kiss him.

Jaebum grumbles a little bit but kisses him back and pulls away with a slight smile on his lips. “Hey,” he murmurs. “Glad you could finally make it.”

“Glad I could, too,” Jackson replies, grinning. He opens his arms and gestures down at himself. “How do I look?”

Jaebum eyes him up and down with a look of appraisal. “Handsome, as usual.”

Jackson pouts. “Just handsome?”

In honesty, he’d gone all out for this date, carefully choosing a pair of jeans that hugs his legs in all the right places and a deep red shirt that compliments the brown of his hair and eyes. And, of course, his favorite pieces of diamond-studded jewelry to top it all off.

An amused smirk tugs at Jaebum’s mouth. “You’re the most perfect man I’ve ever laid eyes on and I can’t believe that I get to call you my boyfriend. The way you look tonight makes me want to skip dinner and go right to dessert. Need I continue?”

Jackson blushes and ducks to hide it against the crook of Jaebum’s shoulder. “No,” he mumbles to the sound of Jaebum’s quiet laughter.

But then Jaebum steps back a bit and inspects his face with a serious expression. “Seun-ah, are you sure you’re okay? Why were you crying earlier?”

Jackson can’t help but smile at the genuine concern in his boyfriend’s eyes. “I’m fine, hyung. I wasn’t crying because I was sad.”

“Oh,” Jaebum says, looking surprised. “Care to tell me why?”

“Maybe someday,” Jackson replies vaguely. And maybe he will, now that he has proof to back the truth of his story. But for now, he’s content to hold those moments in his heart and instead live here with Jaebum in the present.

Jaebum gives him a curious look, like he wants to ask more, but eventually he just nods. “Okay.”

“Do you think they held our reservation?” Jackson asks then, giving his watch a quick glance. Probably they should go inside, he thinks, since their reservation was for fifteen minutes ago and all.

“I already went in and talked to them. We’re fine.”

Jackson looks over at him in surprise. “Oh! Well then what are you standing out here for?”

Jaebum smiles. “I wanted to wait for you. Plus, I know how you like to make an entrance.”

Jackson squawks in offense. “Do not!”

Jaebum leans down to press a quick kiss to his temple. “It’s okay, babe, I love it,” he murmurs.

And Jackson all but melts at Jaebum calling him babe.

Jaebum takes his hand. “Ready for our date?”

Jackson looks up at his boyfriend, the boy he’s loved since they were both barely older than kids, and thinks that he’s never been more ready for anything in his life.

He grins. “I’m ready.”

—End—

✧･ﾟ:┈☆┈♛┈☆┈:･ﾟ✧

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys I don't even know what to say! I'm actually kind of devastated that we've reached the end 😭😭 but at the same time another part of me is excited to set this story free and move on to the next project
> 
> How did you like the ending? Was it everything you had hoped? I hope so! The epilogue _might_ just be my favorite part of the story.
> 
> Just in case any of you (probably none of you besides Jackson lol) were curious about what an anabraic carriage is, I kind of borrowed the idea from the Golden Compass but just changed the name slightly. Here's a pic to get an idea of what I mean: [link](https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/hdm/images/f/fa/Anbaric_car.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20190110194024) Pretty funky, huh? 😆
> 
> If any of you have any lingering unanswered questions about any aspect of my fic, please ask away! I'd be very happy to answer any questions you may have ☺️
> 
> I do know a few of you were wondering who the oldest prince is. I never addressed it within the story because it was never supposed to be a big reveal. In my mind the oldest prince is just Jackson's older brother irl. Hopefully that doesn't disappoint anyone! haha
> 
> Also can I just take a moment to say how humbled and touched I've been throughout this whole experience by all of the love and support you guys have given me? I never ever expected this and I want to say, truly and sincerely, THANK YOU! I love each and every one of you and I'm sending you guys all the positive vibes 💞💖💞💖💞
> 
> I do have another Jackbum fic in the works (with more magic 😉) but it's only in the infant stage right now. I'm a slow writer and I like to have the entire thing written before I publish any chapters because I don't want to post a fic that I'm not guaranteed to finish. That just wouldn't be fair to you guys! But hopefully we'll see each other again sooner rather than later 🤞🏻
> 
> Find me on tumblr: <https://jxebum.tumblr.com>


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